


A Collection of Handon

by AngelicAnimal



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 34,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25143340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelicAnimal/pseuds/AngelicAnimal
Summary: As someone who uses writing as a method to release emotions,  naturally I have a whole collection of one-shots written about Hope and Landon.  Some are happy,  some are sad and some are downright heartbreaking.But, I felt like they finally needed to be shared.So each "chapter " will be a new one-shot.They won't be connected,  but I'll try to make sure I add a warning to any of the sad ones.Hope you enjoy!!
Relationships: Landon Kirby & Hope Mikaelson, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson
Comments: 92
Kudos: 182





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Figured I'd start this off with a cute and sappy moment between these two soulmates

“We’re going to the Mystic Grill?” Hope asked as the restaurant came into view. When Landon had asked her to come with him for the day, this was not what she had in mind. 

Landon grinned sheepishly and nervously ran his fingers through his curls out of habit.

“Um, yeah,” he replied quickly, “But it isn’t the only place I swear” The words rolled off his tongue almost incoherently. 

Hope laughed and grabbed the hand that Landon had clutched into his hair. She gave it a squeeze before dropping it at his side and wrapping her arms around his waist. She wasn’t wearing her heels today, so when she leaned in for a kiss, she had to stand on the tip of her toes. His mouth frantically found hers and she could feel his body instantly relax against her. 

“There,” she said, pulling back and quickly pushing back a curl that had drifted over his eye as they were kissing. “I’m going to love whatever your plan is, ok?”

Landon dipped his head in agreement and uncurled himself from around her body. She always had this ability to both calm him, and make his heart flutter wildly.

He knew she must have heard his heart pounding, because she flicked her eyes down to his chest and softly shook her head, chuckling. 

Landon led her to one of the outside tables, and pulled out the chair for her. 

“This seems familiar” she teased, eyeing him up and down. 

“Well, I--”

“Hope?!” a feminine voice called out, overpowering Landon's response. 

Hope turned her head to see Maya and Ethan walking up towards the Grill. 

Maya had a huge smile on her face and was now running up to her friend. 

“Hey!” Hope called back, taking a few steps towards her. They embraced for a hug, while both boys stood back cautiously. 

Maya, giving Landon a quick glance, looked confused. “I thought you moved away?”

Hope shrugged her shoulders, a pink blush creeping into her cheeks. “Yeah, well.. I did… technically” 

She felt Landon’s fingers curl into her own, tugging her to his side. “Um, this is Landon” she introduced to Maya. 

“Isn’t he a Stallion?” Maya asked with a grimace, her eyes focusing on the crest on Landon’s shirt. 

“Yeah, we both are actually” 

“You moved to the rich kids school?!” Ethan suddenly jumps in, an expression of shock and jealousy clearly evident in his face. 

“Actually,” Landon started to say, but Hope’s quick jab in the ribs stopped him in his tracks. 

“Yes, well-- I’ve always gone there to be honest.. I was just.. Running away from some problems when we first met” 

Hope dropped her shoulders and closed her eyes, while biting on her lip to prevent any bad memories from vomiting their way out. 

If it wasn’t for Landon’s hand in her own, she might have just run, but he kept her grounded and gave her the strength to stay. Maya and Ethan both looked shocked, neither one making any sort of sound. 

“Hope?” Landon’s voice sliced through the awkwardness. “We should probably go”

She looked up into his green eyes. They were warm and supporting, and most importantly, understanding. She nodded and turned back to Maya and Ethan. “It was nice seeing you again” she said softly, giving Maya another quick hug. She tipped her head at Ethan, who couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face. 

When they were far enough away, Landon stopped and cupped her face in his hands. 

“You ok? I know that must have been hard for you”

Hope chewed the side of her cheek, feeling a swirl of emotions raging inside of her. 

“I really messed so many people up when I came back, didn’t I?”

Landon just shook his head and pulled her into him. “Please don’t ever think that. I know that I didn’t respond the in the best way when I found out, but believe me when I say that you only make things better, and our lives weren’t complete UNTIL you came back”

He kissed the top of her head, and ran his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes and just focused on the way Landon’s heart pounded inside of his chest. 

She laid her palm over his heart, allowing the rhythm to flow gently into her fingers. 

Without removing her hand, she leaned up on her toes and tilted her head so that she could look him straight in the eyes. His eyes never hid the way he felt, and she loved that he was such an open book. 

“I love you Landon,” she murmured before using her other hand to twine into his hair and pull his lips towards her. 

She smiled against his mouth, but kept her eyes locked on his.

"You know I came back for you, right?"


	2. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst + Training (What could go wrong?)

"Get up Landon," Hope screamed at him, her voice cold and sharp.  
Landon groaned and held his stomach.  
"Are you trying to kill me?" He spilled out in between gasps of air.   
"You can't die" She groaned, rolling her eyes at him. She tapped her foot with impatience. Hope knew she could have offered him her hand up, but she refused to out of principal. She wasn't here to baby him.   
Landon flipped himself over and used his arms to push himself up into a sitting position.   
His mouth hung open as he panted, while his eyes looked up at Hope.   
"I know I asked you to train me," Landon's eyes hardened, "but this isn't what I had in mind"  
He winced as he pulled himself up, trying to prove to her that he was strong enough to continue.  
"Look Landon," Her voice had a sharp edge to it, and Landon had a look of irritation on his face. "You want to be stronger. You want to stay standing, so I'm trying to help you do that"  
She sighed and threw her hands into the air, turning away from him.   
"Why are we even doing this?"  
"Are you kidding me Hope?" Landon's patience was wearing thin, and he could no longer bite his tongue holding back anymore.  
"Stop acting like you don't care. After everything we have gone through, the least you can be is honest"  
Hope turned on her heels fast, shooting daggers at him. "What do you want from me Landon?!"   
She moved closer to him and jabbed her hand into his side. "You were stabbed by the golden arrow. You died!"  
"But I came back!" Landon yelled, his face red and his head throbbing.   
"And look how long that took," Hope yelled back. Her whole body was trembling now, and she wrapped her arms over chest in an attempt to try to contain herself. Tears threatened to spill out, and they burned underneath her eyelids.   
"I'm not going anywhere Hope" Landon softened and closed the distance between them. He tried to take her in his arms, but she put her hand out pushing back on his chest.   
"You don't know that!" Hope stared into his eyes, while mentally trying to remove her hand from him, but she couldn't.   
Landon grabbed her wrists and held her hand steady so that her palm was pressed over his heart.  
"You feel that? That's me heart! And it's beating. I'm alive. So start acting like it."  
Hope pulled herself away. "What are you talking about?"  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Hope" Landon's voice lowered to a growl. "You have been acting like I'm already gone. Like I didn't survive. And for what?"  
"That's not true, Landon" She muttered, tucking her hair behind her ear.   
"You know it is. You're so afraid of losing me again, that you've decided that I'm already gone. You've chosen to shut down, and that's why you are hesitant to train me and that's why you are so angry."  
Landon stepped towards her again, tucking his fingers under her chin and tilting her face up so she was looking him in the eyes.  
"But here's the thing, Hope. I'm not going anywhere. No matter how hard you try to push me away. I believe in us, and I believe in you. You know where to find me once you finally realize that"   
Landon's thumb brushed over her lip, before he pulled away and turned his back to her.   
She watched as he walked away, and once he was gone, her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor.  
He was right. So why couldn’t she admit it?


	3. 2x02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's my take on 2x02 (the bench scene) from Landon's perspective

I don’t know why I turned around, I couldn’t give you a straight answer. All I know is that something was calling me, or someone rather. When I turned and found her eyes, it was like I had seen them before. They were hauntingly beautiful, deep yet powerful, and the way they pierced my heart shattered everything I thought I knew about myself. 

The despair that hung in the air around her was thick and it clung to her, filling in all the empty spaces around her body.

I wanted to open my mouth up to speak, to tell her that I see her, ask her if she needs help, but my lips felt like they were glued shut, and the only movement I could manage was to pull my headphones out of my ears, not that it made much of a difference in the end.

Time seemed to shift down, and I was hyper aware of the slight tremble in her shoulders, and the way her lips pursed as she tried to tear her gaze away from me. 

I searched my brain trying to figure out why she felt so familiar, but every thread I pulled brought me to a dead end. 

She was the first one to finally break the trance, the hesitation flashing through her eyes like lightning, but the strength coming through in the hard set of her mouth and the steadiness of her breathing. 

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her as she walked away. A deep guttural pain ripped through my body with every step she took and an emptiness settled itself like gravel at the bottom of my heart. 

I shouldn’t be feeling like this. Not with a stranger. I should go home and be with the very real girlfriend that was probably waiting for me. I mean, sure we had a fight, but all couples did, right? Still, I couldn’t help the pull of this mysterious girl that had invaded every corner of my brain. 

I fought with the idea of going after her, stopping her, asking her, but my feet wouldn’t move the way I wanted them to. Maybe it was a sign, maybe my subconscious was telling me to go home, maybe it was my flight or fight kicking in, I don’t know. 

The only thing my brain could focus on was that she was gone, and I suddenly felt like I had lost a part of me all over again.

I brought my hands to my face and rubbed at my eyes. Was this a dream? Had I fallen asleep on the bench? It had been a long day, so it was entirely possible, but then why would I dream of her? Who was she to me? 

I groaned as I glanced at the clocktower in the middle of town square. I was going to be late getting back to the school, and I really didn’t want to make a bad impression on the new headmaster. I sighed and tugged my fingers through the tight curls in my hair. 

I sucked in my breath and gathered my stuff from the bench, making sure to also take the milkshake that I needed, yet didn’t want. 

The whole summer I had felt like I was incomplete, like something was missing, something that would come to me everytime I jumped off that pier, but my grasp on it would slip through my fingers the moment I retook my first breath. 

But that girl, no, her eyes specifically, blurred the edges of reality, and made me feel like she was the key to unlocking the dark prison of my mind. 

My eyes drifted to the familiar path back to the school, but I couldn’t help but cast my gaze back to the spot where she had walked off. I owed it to myself to put this puzzle back together, right?

And maybe it wouldn’t hurt to find out if she was ok or at least that was how I finally made up my mind to justify why my feet started moving the opposite way from the school. 

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, allowing my heart to guide my feet, and I was instantly surprised to find myself being pulled towards the clocktower in the middle of town.

I knew, without a doubt, that I would find her there, and as I got closer, my feelings were confirmed. She was sitting on a small concrete bench, fiddling with something in her hands. She was hunched over, her elbows resting on her knees, and a large duffel bag at her feet. 

I briefly paused, my eyes on the ground, my body turned slightly away from her, as I argued with myself. Should I talk to her? Would I even know what to say? Maybe she wants to be alone?

But it wasn’t just that I wanted to talk to her, it was that I needed to talk to her. Needed it deep down in my soul, that it screamed at me.

And I was afraid that if I just walked away, the regret would eat at me for the rest of my life.

I took a deep breath and turned to her. “Hey” 

The surprise that crossed her face was something I didn’t expect. Recognition flashed through her eyes before they were quickly masked with the same sadness that had entrapped me earlier. The “hey” from her lips tumbled out as more of a breath than a word and I was immediately lulled by the dulcet tone of her voice. 

Suddenly I felt silly, and my heart pounded in my chest. “We saw each other earlier right?” I stammered, pointing stupidly towards the very path I had just come from. 

Her eyes followed the direction of my hand, as though she knew exactly what I meant before they fixed back on mine, and she nodded ever so slightly, shakily saying, “Yeah, uh, I was just out on a walk to clear my head” The tremble in her voice gave the lie away quickly, but at this point I didn’t care. I needed to be near her, my feet drifting towards her without pause, my heart fluttering wildly the closer I became. 

My brain worked as quick as possible, trying to keep the conversation flowing. “Rough night?”

She nervously looked around, attempting to break eye contact but as unable to as I was. 

I knew her face. I knew her lips. I knew her eyes. How? I craved to reach out and touch her, to soothe her, to brush back the hair that had fallen over her shoulder, but my arms remained glued to my side. 

“Yeah, actually, uh,” She said softly, “Relationship trouble” she added breathlessly, shrugging her shoulders as though she had more to say but painfully stopping herself. 

Was that the sadness intertwined within the blue of her eyes? Did someone break her heart?

Was she calling out to the empathy in me, and that was the only reason I was so drawn to her?

I threw her a smile, hoping that maybe it would comfort her in some way, but stumbling over my own tongue, “Must be contagious” I finally blurted out, but immediately regretting it after watching her face fall. She was quick to pick herself back up, but the subtle tones of despair were still evident and she couldn’t hide the shakiness of her voice. “Why you too?”

I bravely took a seat next to her, closer than I would have had she been anyone else, but the need to be as close as possible stifling any fears I had. I half expected her to move away, but she remained steady, her knees pointing towards my own. 

“Yeah,” I said letting out a breath, “I’m with this really amazing girl but all of a sudden everything’s super complicated” I shrugged my shoulders, hating the fact that I was using my troubles with Josie to extend a conversation with this girl. 

“Uh” She mumbled, looking away. 

“You?” I asked, silently begging her to open up to me. 

She released the breath she was holding in and shook her head slightly. “Old story, I guess” Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, and she rolled her eyes up towards the sky in a feeble attempt to stop them from breaking the mask of indifference she so desperately clung to.

“Fell for a guy that doesn’t even know I exist” A fake smile crossed her lips as she shrugged her shoulders, in the pretense that it was less painful than the alternative. 

But I could see right through her. I choked out a tiny laugh, playing along with her facade, but unable to help the way my lungs choked on her obvious pain. 

“Classic,” I added, shifting my body closer to her as she fought the demons within her own heart. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, dipping her head along with me but shifting her eyes down to her feet.

There was a pause in both of our breathing after that, and I was afraid she would just get up and leave, and I just wasn’t ready for that, so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. 

“She’s really great but,” immediately regretting the choice of words but unable to stop, “I just feel like I want it to be perfect, and, and--” Her small breathless “Yeah” felt like a dagger to my heart and I couldn’t look at her anymore, instead choosing to look at my hands, that were clutched so tightly to the milkshake they were starting to go red. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her shoulders rise and fall as her head moved from her feet, to my face, and then back to her feet as I spoke. “I want to be the perfect boyfriend, and she’s trying to be the perfect girlfriend and, it was really effortless but now it feels so-- off--I don’t know”

She pursed her lips together and watched as I cowardly talked about my girlfriend, trying so hard not to fall apart, but the stitches starting to pull at the seams. 

“Sorry” I wished I could have said more, I wished I could have made whatever pain she was feeling better, but she was a stranger, and no matter how familiar she felt, she was still someone that I didn’t know, no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise.

I looked down at the milkshake, afraid to see the sadness in her eyes again, as she struggled to take in my last words to her. She shook her head, mumbling a “No” before taking a deep breath. 

“You know, um” she said softly, trying to find the right words, “a very smart boy once taught me that sometimes you have to be brave enough,” I lifted my eyes up as her voice trembled and she caught them with her own, “ to be imperfect with people” Her creased brows relaxed, and she nodded slightly, as though she too was trying to be comforted by her words. She shrugged, “even if it's scary” and shook her head softly. 

“Yeah” I chuckled, my breath caught in my throat, shifting my eyes to look at anything but her. 

Her face contorted with pain, and the tears she had tried so hard to conceal finally broke her barrier and rolled down her face.

I blew air out of my lips and tried to shake off the grief that poured off her in waves. 

Rubbing my eyes, I said the only thing I could think of, “Of course you’re going to have to take your own advice and tell that boy of yours that you exist,” My eyes focused on the tear running along her cheek, and when I flicked my gaze up to her own eyes, she quickly turned and wiped her face. “Uh” she muttered, and then chuckled attempting to mask the pain, “I don’t know about that” Another laugh, followed by a sniffle. Another silence stops our conversation. She was so close to me, that if I shifted just a little, her knee would be brushing against my own. I stared down at our legs, unaware until this moment just how in sync we were. 

“I hope your night gets better,” I said softly, looking up at her again. 

She nods and whispers a “Thanks” throwing me a quick smile, as though everything was suddenly alright. 

The milkshake in my hands felt cold and heavy and without understanding why, somehow felt like it was never actually meant for me, but for her. 

“This will help,” I said smiling and handing her the cup. “Peanut butter blast, whipped cream on the bottom,” I chewed briefly on my bottom lip, staring at the cup, “It’s probably all melted by now but uh” my voice trailed off, unsure what to say next.

I quickly stood up to go, afraid to overstay my welcome, as her hand went to the shake and a small “Oh” fell from her mouth. 

I sighed and turned back to her, wanting to explain that it wasn’t a pity milkshake, that I hadn’t even known I was buying it until it was in my hands.

“I don’t even know why I ordered it, I didn’t have any of it, I didn’t want a milkshake, it just seemed--” but I couldn’t explain. Not to myself, and not to her. So I just shrugged my shoulders and shook my head, hoping that maybe she didn’t need me to explain anything. 

As she turned to look up at me, her hair fell over the side of her face, and I threw my hands in my pockets as the desire to uncover her eyes became overwhelming. 

With all the strength I could muster, I pulled myself away from her gaze, and lowered my head. “Thanks for listening” I quickly mumbled, taking one last look before turning away. 

Everything inside of me screamed to go back to her, to demand that she explain why she had this effect on me, but I couldn't, or maybe it was just that I was too afraid to. 

Thoughts of her arms around my neck and her lips on mine forced my feet to stop moving. I pinched the bridge of my nose and took small deep breaths. This wasn’t fair to Josie. I had to talk to her. I took one last look behind me, watching as her head fell into her hands and her chest heaved with sobs. What had I done? 


	4. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sad, not fluff  
> What if when Landon woke up, he somehow changed? Or his feelings for Hope changed?  
> What if he broke her heart?  
> (This was inspired by him being possessed by Malivore upon waking up, and Hope didn't know)

Hope sat on her bed with her legs pressed up against her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her chin rested atop her knees and her eyes opened and closed slowly as she waited for Landon to say something.   
He leaned against the doorframe, rather than choosing to sit beside her, and the emptiness of the bed had never seemed so whole until now.   
“I thought--” her voice squeaked out, breaking at the very effort of finding the right words. She sighed and sucked her lip underneath her teeth, biting down as she attempted to control the trembling that echoed throughout her body.   
Hope shook her head and straightened herself out, attempting to gain a little bit of that Mikaelson edge she was born with. “You told me forever, Landon”   
She looked over at him, hoping the sharpness of her words would have some sort of effect on him, but he only just rolled his eyes and curved his lips up into a sly smile.   
Hope couldn’t breathe. She grabbed at her chest as she gasped for air, willing her lungs to work.   
Landon stepped towards her, his hands clasped behind his back, making no attempt to console her.   
“You’re right,” he finally said, picking up a paint brush from her easel and mindlessly spinning it around in his fingers. “But you also think we’re doomed, so what does that really say about how you feel Hope?”  
“I--” but she was lost for words. She did think that. And she had pushed Landon away countless times before, but she thought he would come back. He knew her, he understood her..  
She hung her head and squeezed her eyes shut against the tears. Grinding her fist against her cheeks, she wiped away her sadness the best she could.

Her head slowly tilted up as she attempted to glare at him with icy blue eyes, but unable to hide the tremble in her chin when she realized that he wasn’t even looking at her.   
“What changed?” She finally blurted out. The question had been hanging in the air for so long now, and even though she didn’t want to ask, she had to.   
Landon chuckled, a hint of a growl in his voice as he finally looked up at her.   
“I died. For real this time. And I had a lot of time to think about things.”

He shrugged his shoulders as he took a step towards her, throwing his arms out and grabbing her by the waist.   
He leaned his head against hers so that she could see the seriousness of his eyes and the tightening of his jaw as he clenched his teeth together so hard she could hear the snap. 

She wanted to bring her hands up to his face, and pull his mouth against hers, but these eyes that were looking back at her, were not the same eyes that she fell in love with.  
As sudden as he grabbed her, he pushed her away, a menacing growl erupting from his lips.   
“I just realized that you weren’t ever going to choose me. You weren’t willing to ever give in to happiness,” He turned his back to her and dropped his shoulders. “You and I can never truly be together because you won’t allow yourself to be happy. And I deserve better than that Hope.”  
Hope’s face fell as his words choked themselves around her heart, squeezing until there was nothing but shreds.  
“You should have just stayed gone” He coldly added. “I was happier without you. Everyone was”


	5. 2x17 scraps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to think of how 2x17 would go from the other side of things, so these little excerpts are my brain just trying to figure things out. I ultimately scrapped these ideas, because I just couldn't get in the right mindset, but those I did share them with enjoyed them, hence this chapter.   
> Enjoy!

( Landon's POV)

_ Landon, no!  _

Those two little words echoed throughout my brain, drowning out any other memories that had tried to claw their way to the surface right after Raf stabbed me with the arrow. 

Those words haunted me and sent chills down my subconscious spine. I wasn’t dead, that much was for sure, but I also wasn’t alive, and so my only guess was that I was stuck in some sort of limbo that prevented me from activating my Phoenix side. 

I could still make out the scuffling of Raf’s feet, and the heavy distraught breathing coming from his chest as he, I assumed, carried my limp body to someplace within the school. Why couldn’t I move? Why couldn’t I speak? What was the point of being able to hear things if I couldn’t do anything else?

_ What will this do to Hope? _

She had experienced so much death in her life, including countless of mine, and I was worried about how this would affect her. I had promised her forever, and now my word meant nothing. 

_ I’m so sorry Hope _

Time seemed to pass by slowly here, wherever here was, and sounds would come and go. But the one voice I wanted to hear, that I needed to hear, never came. Sounds all mingled together as life seemed to move on around me. Raf came and went, same with Alaric and the twins, but never her. Never Hope.

* * *

(Landon's POV)

“I don’t know why she’s not waking up!” The delicate feminine voice screamed so loudly that I swore she was sitting right next to me. “But neither is Landon-- and maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it means they are together” A sniffle caught my attention, and I focused as hard as I could on the voice.  _ Is she talking about Hope? _

“Landon--” I heard my name being said, recognizing the voice as Dr. Saltzman’s. “Isn’t here anymore. We can’t keep him on this bed and pretend like he isn’t gone, Josie. I’m sorry”

_ Wait, no! I’m here! I am.. Please don’t give up on me! _

“Dad-- We can’t.. You know this would devastate Hope-- she needs to be able to say goodbye”

Alaric sighed. “We don’t even know if she’s coming back to us though. She hasn’t woken up since--since…” and his voice cracked.

“Since she rescued me” Josie finished, the guilt making her voice screech with agony. 

“It’s my fault. All of this is my fault.”

_ Hope isn’t waking up? No.. this can’t be _

I had to find a way to wake up. I had to save her. She couldn’t leave. She wasn’t allowed to leave. People needed her. I needed her.

“What if--” Josie whispered lowly, “What if I did what Hope did, but to Landon… to see if he’s still there at least... “

“I can’t let you do that. It’s dangerous Jo. You could get lost, like Hope did-- and she didn’t sacrifice herself for you to do the same”

“Dad. please. I can’t just sit back and watch everything fall apart. I did this. I need to fix it”

“I’m sorry, but my answer is no.” 

A sigh escaped Josie’s lips that spoke volumes. She wasn’t giving up, but she needed a plan. 

* * *

Lizzie was sitting with Hope’s body, watching her chest slowly rise and fall with every breath she took. Josie peeked her head in the room, her lips set into a pout and her eyes moist with tears.

“How is she?” she finally asked her sister, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. 

“She’s breathing,” Lizzie muttered, not sure what else to say. “Landon?”

“No change. Dad wants to bury him. Give him a funeral. But-- with Hope--” Josie felt hopeless. 

She didn’t want to give up on Landon, but things weren’t looking good, and her dad was going to eventually find a way to put things to rest.

“Liz?” Josie whispered, closing her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see her expression. “I want to try something-- you know… to see if Landon is still there…”

Lizzie’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing at Josie with a thousand questions running through her mind. “What? How? Do you really think he’s still there?”

Josie shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

“Then do it,” Lizzie said, her eyes on Hope. “We can’t lose either one of them.”

“What should we do for her?” Josie motioned towards the sleeping Tribrid, but unable to look at her. The guilt Josie felt was too much, and she could feel her legs buckle underneath her. 

“We don’t even know what’s wrong with her!” Lizzie sighed, throwing her hands up. “I don’t even know where to start!”

“Landon would know what to do,” Josie said softly, allowing her tears to finally fall freely. “I mean, maybe she is just waiting to hear his voice..”

“Do you think she knows?” Lizzie asked, shock registering suddenly. “Is that why she isn’t waking up?” 

“Like she knows he’s gone?”

Lizzie nodded. “Exactly like that”

“So maybe if we get Landon back, we’ll get Hope back?”

Lizzie nodded. “Hope said their love is epic.. Maybe it's connected?”


	6. I Am Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling a little sad today, so I chose to share something that matched my mood  
> And I understand that she wouldn't die from bleeding out, but what if she just gave up? What if she fought against healing? Could she?  
> Or maybe turning off the emotions deep inside her feels like dying.. And her "death" is her heart finally letting go, because she just can't deal with the alternative

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//Death/Suicide

I leaned my elbows against the cool porcelain of the sink, bracing myself from the shakiness echoing throughout my legs. I sucked in short tiny breaths, trying to soothe the burning in my lungs.

_ Keep breathing--that’s all you need to do _

I kept my gaze focused on the toothpaste stain on the side of the faucet, too afraid to close my eyes again. Blood pooled in the bowl, dripping off my nose like soldiers marching to war. 

I sighed and brought a shaky hand to the tap, turning on the cold water, and reaching into the stream. Cupping my hand, I allowed the cool liquid to fill it before splashing across my cheeks. 

A red stream of tears danced down and over my chin. Was there really this much blood?

I shut my eyes against the memory, trying to force myself to forget. 

_ Please don’t-- No.. no.. no _

My eyes popped open as the horror on his face flashed across my mind. I clung to the porcelain, digging my fingernails into the cool hard surface. 

I sucked my lip under my teeth, biting down to feel something, anything other than the despair that clung so desperately to my heart. 

Peeking up at the mirror, all I could see were my own blue eyes amidst a face half covered in blood-- _ his blood _ .

I frantically cupped more water in my hands and splashed my face, rubbing furiously at my cheeks, clawing across my skin. 

By the time I was done, the sink was stained red, and the pooled pink water sploshed at the sides as it was sucked down the drain. 

I rested my hand to my chest, clutching at the fabric, clawing against the thumping of my heart. 

_ What have I done? _

Willing my legs to move, I slowly took steps towards my closet, pulling off the blood stained clothes that clung to my body. Landon’s sweater was flung haphazardly over a hanger, a quick reminder of what I was running from. I brushed it aside, touching it only briefly with the tips of my fingers, in fear that somehow it would sense my betrayal. I pulled at one of my own shirts, and threw it over my head quickly. I grabbed a pair of jeans and slid them over my tired and bruised legs, paying as little attention to the wounds that crisscrossed along my muscles. 

_ How do I do this? How do I go on? _

I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, finally allowing the tears that I had been fighting back for so long to fall softly down my cheeks. 

Time meant nothing anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. He was gone. And I killed him. 

I crumbled to the ground, collapsing my legs and allowing my body to slam against the wood floor. A pain shot through my head, and blood,  _ my blood,  _ pooled around me, as I refused to move. 

_ I don’t care anymore _

My lashes fluttered against the ray of sunshine that peeked through the curtains, blinding me in the very spot I fell, shimmering off the crystalized red liquid that was seeping from my head.

I fell asleep to the thrumming of my own heart, completely exhausted from the emotions I needed,  _ no wanted,  _ to turn off. 

It would be easier to not care. To not feel. To not love. Wouldn’t it? 

If I didn’t love him, he would still be here. He wouldn’t have been at the school. He wouldn’t have started this whole mess. But my weakness killed him. And I no longer wanted to be weak. I just wanted to be left alone. He was dead. He was dead. He was dead. 

_ Again and again and again. Dead. Say it again.  _

He’s never coming back. And I don't want to either. 

The lighter my head felt, the clearer my thoughts became. This was what dying felt like. This is how he felt.

_ No, he felt pain. He felt agony. He fell into your arms. And you ripped his throat out.  _

No. It wasn’t Landon. It was his father. 

_ It was Landon’s body. It was Landon’s life.  _

It wasn’t. I can’t. I refuse to believe it. 

_ Death is too good for you. You deserve to live with the pain _

I just want to die. I just want to be free. 

_ No, that’s not what you really want. _

I want him back. But the blood. There was so much blood. 

_ His blood. _

Yes. His blood. And now my blood. 

_ He’s not coming back _

I know. But I’m weakening. And soon neither will I. 

_ But you will come back _

And then I can turn it off. I can forget. I can be free.

_ Say goodnight Hope. _

I sucked in my last breath, the pain from before completely gone now. 

No more despair. No more heartache. I am free. 


	7. 2x03 alternate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If the monster hadn't screamed in 2x03 when Hope said "Trust me Landon..." what would have happened?  
> This is my version of what could have been

“Trust me Landon, you don’t have to worry about anyone forgetting you” my voice trailed off as the words tumbled from my mouth. 

His name felt so familiar as it rolled off my tongue, but I wasn’t supposed to use it anymore. We weren’t supposed to know each other, and I had slipped up. 

Landon’s eyes regarded me with curiosity and questions. 

“How--” he cleared his throat, almost like he was afraid to ask, “How do you know my name?”

I brought my hand to my face and wiped back a phantom strand of hair. I knew he would catch me, he was smarter than people gave him credit for. 

“I..uh” trying to think quickly, “Dr. Saltzman told me” There. That was easy. He should buy that. 

Landon’s eyes narrowed as he watched the lie fall from my lips. 

He tilted his head, almost as though he wanted to believe me, but not sure if he actually did.

I sighed. “We should--”

“Do I know you?”

Landon’s question caught me off guard. My lip trembled against my will as he took a step closer to me, his hand out as though he was going to grab my arm. 

His eyes instantly focused on my mouth, noticing the fear that I was so desperate to hide from him, and he froze. 

“I’m sorry,” he suddenly mumbled, a pink blush creeping across his cheeks. 

“It’s just.. You seem so familiar, like..” He shook his head. “Never mind” he murmured, dropping his eyes down to his feet. 

I gulped back the air, trying to quell the burning within my lungs, but the more I panickly swallowed, the more out of control I felt. 

I could feel the tears sting against the back of my eyelids as I squeezed them shut, trying to control myself. 

“Hope” I heard his voice call to me. It sounded thick and far away, and it wasn’t until I felt his hands on my wrists that I realized that I had my own hands covering my ears, trying to shut the world out. 

“Are you ok? I didn’t mean to upset you” His eyes were soft, and loving, but not in the way they used to be. I shrugged him off, attempting to pull myself together. 

“It’s nothing.. I just..” I stammered, trying to reign in the beast of emotions that had been fighting me from the inside since I came back. 

“Is this about the guy you mentioned last night?” 

I stopped. My eyes found Landon’s and I nodded. I couldn’t do anything else. I wanted to scream at him, tell him that it was about him. That I loved him and he loved me. That I was sorry. But I couldn’t, so I just simply nodded. 

“I’m guessing you aren’t going to tell him are you?” 

I shook my head, trying to find my voice. I wanted to say no, but his eyes called to me. I wanted to tell him the truth. I missed him so much. But how?

“Landon, I--” 

“It’s ok Hope. You don’t have to tell me. I understand”

“That’s not--” I sucked in a breath. “What I mean is.. It’s you Landon. The guy, he’s you” 

“I’m sorry, I’m who?” Landon ran his hand through his curls, and shifted the weight onto his other leg. 

I bit down on my tongue as his eyes prodded me for answers. “I didn’t mean-- I--” but I couldn’t figure out how to fix this. It wasn’t fair of me to spring this on him, and the regret was eating at the gnawing darkness inside of me. 

I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated. “I just meant that you remind me of him… the guy..”

Landon lifted his eyebrow in surprise. There was a mixture of emotions on his face, and I could tell by the way he curled his lip up slightly that he wasn’t exactly buying my story.

Still, he didn’t press me. I knew he wouldn’t. Landon was too good, too pure, and too respectful. 

“Is that why--No.. I worded that wrong,” he muttered, thinking. “Yesterday, when I found you on that bench, you seemed surprised.. I guess…” 

Landon leaned against a tree and set his green eyes on me. “It just seemed like my presence made whatever you were going through worse.”

I mimicked him and leaned against my own tree. “You surprised me, that’s all.”

“Oh”

I could tell he wanted to say more, that he had something weighing on his mind, but he was hesitant. 

I sighed. There was a time where he used to tell me everything. I never had to wonder what he was thinking, because I was the first person he wanted to talk to. 

God, I missed him. I rolled my hands up into fists and slammed them against the tree. 

Landon, who was still watching me, chuckled lightly. “Hope.. Hope..” he rolled my name on his tongue. “It’s just so.. I don’t know.. Familiar…” 

Landon pushed himself off the tree and made his way to me. “I just can’t figure out why”

He turned his back on me briefly, and I could see his shoulders bounce up and down as he worked through whatever it was he was trying to figure out. 

He turned back to me, his eyes wide and focused. “Why? What is it about you?”

The space between us was electrified, and I knew he could feel it. He moved closer, his hand drifting up slightly, but pausing, hovering just over my cheek without actually touching me. 

“Don’t tell me I’m imagining this.. I felt it last night too.. Why?”

I sucked my bottom lip under my teeth and tried to concentrate on my breathing rather than the overwhelming need to pull his lips against mine. 

My heart was fluttering wildly in my chest, mimicking the thumping from his own heart.

“You.. you have a girlfriend..” I stammered, trying to stay strong. 

Landon hesitated and dropped his hand. He took a step away from me and shifted his eyes down.

“I know. And this is wrong. I just can’t get you out of my head, and it’s driving me crazy. All I thought about was you! I’m drawn to you, and I don’t understand!!”

He paced the forest floor, arguing with whatever demons he was wrestling inside of him. 

What had I done? I should have just left, like I had wanted to. But then he was there, and I couldn’t. I wanted to ease his questions, I wanted to do something, but what could I do?

Landon stopped, his chest heaving up and down as he breathed rapidly. 

“I need to know.. I have to know..” He came up to me and I stumbled back against the tree again. His arms caged me in, his face close to mine. “You feel it, don’t you?”

I tried to shake my head, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything but breathe him in. It took every ounce of my strength to not wrap my arms around his neck and tangle my fingers in his hair.

“Don’t lie to me, Hope” he begged, tears springing from his eyes. “Please”

“Who are you?”

I sighed. I shakily brought my hands up to his face. “May I?”

His eyes flicked between my hands and then back to my face, giving his chin a slight dip.

My fingers slid across his soft skin, and I could feel his breath hitch in his throat at my touch.

“Close your eyes” I murmured to him, as my fingers curled around his ear and into his curls. 

His lashes fluttered softly against my own after I leaned in against his forehead.

“Please don’t hate me” I whispered, before closing my own eyes and pushing memories into his head like I had that night in the library. 

Landon gasped and pulled himself back, knocking me off balance and causing me to tumble forwards.

“What.. were those.. Were they real?” He gasped, his hand over his heart as he tried to calm it down. 

I fell to my knees and buried my head in my hands. ‘Yes” I sobbed, falling apart. 

“We were in love, Landon. You used to love me” 

His silence was deafening, which only made it hurt worse. 

I could hear him sigh. “I don’t remember that.. It’s all just pictures to me... “

I looked up at him with puffy eyes, tears still rolling down my cheeks. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have--” I picked myself up and turned away from him, ready to leave.

Landon threw his arm out and grabbed my shoulder. “No, you don’t get it”

He spun me around so I was facing him. “I don’t remember it---” he leaned in close, making sure I understood what he was trying to say, “But I feel it Hope. I feel it.”


	8. I Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am always trying to think about what would happen when one of them wakes up..  
> How would the other save the one still "sleeping"?  
> Anyways, there are so many possibilities, but here's one that's crossed my mind.   
> (These one shots are really just me trying to work out my thoughts, so if they seem unfinished or rushed, it's because I wasn't actually trying to go somewhere with them. I just needed the outlet)

“Landon!” Hope shot straight up, hitting her head on the bookshelf closest to her, but other than a soft rub on the head, nothing registered. All she was focused on was getting to Landon and making sure he was ok. 

She quickly realized that she was stuck in the secret weapons closet in Alaric’s office, and with a quick tug of a book the wall drudged open. She scooted out and tripped over a chair that had been pushed almost next to the wall. 

She blasted it across the room in aggravation, before running out of the office and down the hallway. 

“Hope?” she heard someone call after her, but she refused to stop. Something was wrong, she could feel it. 

The door to Landon’s room was closed, and when she threw it open, she noticed Raf sitting on the bed. Her eyes trailed to the body of her boyfriend, and she instantly collapsed. 

“No!” She cried as she pounded her fists on the ground, the magic in her surging with every blast of sadness. 

Arms encircled her, picking her up as she fought against them. “Leave me alone” She cried, but was relieved when they laid her next to Landon.

He was still warm, but his heart was cold, and she couldn’t hear it beating as she strained to listen for it. She nestled herself under his stiff arm and pushed her nose against his chest. 

“I’ll uh, leave you be” Raf whispered, stepping towards the door. 

When she heard the click of the doorknob, Hope let out all the anguish she had been holding back. She wailed against his body, pulling at his hair and his face, kissing his cheeks and along his jawlines. All she wanted was for him to open his eyes and look at her. She could almost hear his laugh in her head, and she closed her eyes to block out the way his skin was ashen gray, and the way his chest refused to rise and fall with every breath he should be taking. 

“You promised me forever Landon” she howled, a fierceness inside her wanting to be let out. The wolf whined, and her body attempted to shift, but Hope shook it off. She didn’t want to stop feeling. She didn’t want to let him go. She knew holding that side of her down was wrong, but she couldn’t become the thing it wanted her to be. She felt numb, and alone, and missing the only person she had ever truly felt a connection with. 

Hope wiggled her fingers around his face, threading them around his ear and pushing her face against his so that their noses and foreheads were pressed up against each other. 

She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. “Please let this work” She murmured, positioning herself atop Landon’s body for better leverage. 

She whispered a few words, long ago taught to her by her aunt, under her breath. As she squeezed her eyes shut tight, she could feel the room start to spin, and when she finally opened them back up again, all she saw was darkness. 

“Hello?” she called out, catching a whimper on the air as she shuffled her feet along. 

“Landon?” She followed the tiny noise, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room.

“Who are you?” A small voice called back, fear mingled with curiosity. 

She caught sight of a small curly headed boy, curled into a corner, hugging his knees tightly against his chest. 

He cocked his head to the side and his eyes widened when he finally saw her. 

“Don’t hurt me” He cried, pulling himself in closer. Hope stopped in her tracks. He was afraid of her. She slowly lifted a hand out, gesturing to him. “It’s ok. I’m not going to hurt you”

The boy shriveled up even more, staring at her outstretched hand as though at any minute she would wind it back and smack him. He was trembling, and Hope could make out the crusty tears along his cheeks that had dried up since the last time he cried. 

“Landon, I love you” She blurted out, something inside of her taking over. 

His mouth dropped open, and she could see he was contemplating what she had just said. 

He seemed to be arguing with himself, until finally he shook his head and glared at her. 

“No one loves me.”

“That’s not true. You grow up and meet me and we fall in love Landon.”

She inched towards him slowly, trying not to frighten him anymore, but needing to get through to him. “Please. You have to trust me”

He dropped his eyes to her hand before they slowly climbed up her body until finally fixing on her face. “How do I know you’re real?” He whimpered, keeping his knees pressed tightly against his chest. 

Hope slowly sat down in front of him, crossing her legs. She reached out and brushed back a curl that had fallen over his eye, before a deep guttural sigh worked its way out of her.

“Can I have your hand?” She asked softly, in an attempt to soothe him. 

He titled his head in thought and hesitating before finally offering his hand out to her. 

She wrapped it in her own, and shifted closer to him so she could gently place his hand over her heart. “You feel that?” 

“Yeah” He mumbled as a sniffle wracked his small body. 

“If I wasn’t real, would my heart be beating?”

“I-- I guess not” He squeaked, slowly uncurling his body until his knees were pressed against hers. 

Hope smiled and squeezed his hand, threading her fingers through his. “How about I get you out of here?”

He stiffened. “What about the monsters?”

Hope smirked as her eyes shined brightly. “I can handle the monsters Landon. You’ve always got me.” 

The young boy stood up, hand in hers, and weakly smiled. “Promise?”

Hope’s eyes popped open as she gasped for air. She was back in Landon’s room, her legs still straddling him and her hands pressed firmly against his temples. 

She leaned in and kissed his lips softly, squeezing her eyes shut, too afraid to realize she had failed. 

A soft hand on her face startled her and her eyes fluttered open, fixing onto the green-grey of Landon’s. A smile was on his face, as he caressed her cheek. “You found me” 

Tears fell from her eyes as she pressed her lips to his once again as the joy of his heart beating in his chest again, filled her up like a balloon. 

“I’ll always find you Landon. I promise.”


	9. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been MIA recently. I moved into a new place last week and that took up most of my time.   
> But I'm all settled and ready to write again. Enjoy!

My body trembled as I waited for Hope. I was so nervous and I couldn't help the way my stomach fluttered when I thought about the potential that tonight held for us. 

We spent half of last night talking, and when she finally fell asleep, I looked down at the beautiful girl wrapped in my arms and the idea just popped into my head. 

I had slipped out early this morning, leaving her a note and a kiss before I roped MG and Lizzie into helping me out.

Lizzie, of course, was beyond happy that I asked and immediately took me under her wing. I wanted this to be special, and I needed all the help I could get. Once we had a set plan, Lizzie was tasked with keeping Hope busy for the day and MG and I took off into town. 

Now, with my hand curled tightly around the little blue box in my pocket, I was suddenly second guessing my choice. What was she going to do? Will she be happy? 

I pulled my sweaty hand out and rubbed it on my pants to dry it off. I looked at the clock before quickly checking myself out in the mirror. I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the curls. I was shocked to see that my outside did not reflect the inner chaos I was feeling and I let out a deep breath. I looked at the clock again when the door opened and Hope walked in. 

"Hey" I said breathlessly, rushing to her side and taking her in my arms. "I've missed you"

She laughed and curled her fingers in my hair. "It's so nice to finally be in your arms again. You left so early this morning" Her bottom lip shot out in a pout and I smiled at her. "Have I mentioned how adorable you are when you do that?" 

"Maybe" She flirted, fluttering her eyes, “but I wouldn't mind hearing it again.”

"Fine." I said chuckling and winking at her, "You are adorable, and beautiful and strong and amazing and incredible--" I took a deep breath, "Should I continue?" She leaned in so the tip of her nose brushed against my own. "It's my turn" she whispered, before closing the gap and kissing me. The kiss was soft at first but it quickly became deeper and more passionate. Our desire to be as close to each other as possible was loud, screaming at us with a force so strong that neither of us could deny it.

I pulled away abruptly, but moved my hand up to cup her face upon noticing the sadness in her eyes. "Hope," I whispered, looking her in the eyes. "I have something for you"

I unwrapped my hand from around her waist and reached into my pocket, pulling out the little blue box. Her eyes widened with surprise as it came into her view and a smile spread across her face. 

"God, I love your smile" I stated, completely distracted, and running my thumb along her swollen lips. 

"What is it?" She asked softly, holding her hand out and gasping slightly when I finally placed it on her open palm. 

"Open it"

Hope bit down on her lip in excitement, and slowly opened the tiny box. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked upon the contents inside.

"It's beautiful Landon," She said, examining the silver bracelet. It was simple, because I knew Hope didn't like flashy, but I had picked out two charms, a phoenix and a wolf, to make it more personal.

She leaned in and kissed me softly, before gingerly plucking it out of the box and handing it to me. "Help me put it on?"

I nodded and carefully took it from her. She held out her wrist for me and I quickly clasped it together. 

"You didn't have to do this" She swooned, reaching out and brushing away a stray curl from my face. 

"I know, but I wanted to. I love you Hope” 

Hope smiled before kissing me again. “I love you too Landon”


	10. This was my favorite sweater!

Landon watched as the flames hungrily licked at the logs Hope had just added to the fire.

He had always had a fascination with fire, but until recently never really understood why.

The heat never bothered him, which was pretty obvious when you think about his wardrobe choices. Everyone else would be in shorts and short sleeved shirts, and he would have layers. He just always assumed it was because his body ran at a different temperature than most, and once he resurrected, things started to click in his brain and made more sense.

He didn’t know much about being a Phoenix, and there wasn’t a lot of research on the subject, so everything they were learning was all on Landon’s shoulders.

The stress of not knowing was really starting to tug at Landon’s mind, so much so that Hope had noticed, and had set up this little bonfire as a way for all their friends to just sit back and relax.

Hope’s fingers curling through Landon’s own broke the trance he was in.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, but not before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. 

“You ok?” She whispered, trying to be mindful of those around them. 

“I am now” he replied, turning his head so his lips could brush against hers. “Thank you”

Even in the dark, he could see the pink tint fill her cheeks. She did that often when he was around, and he was always in awe whenever the realization hit him that he was the reason why.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he mumbled, turning back to the fire. 

“Hmm? The fire?” Hope asked and Landon nodded. 

“There is something about it, Hope. I feel drawn to it. I--I can’t explain”

Hope lifted her head off his shoulder and focused her gaze on his face. The flames danced in his irises, making them look like they were glowing a bright orange.

There was a feeling tugging at Hope as she watched Landon, but she couldn’t quite put her finger in it. Was that--was that jealousy? 

She was usually the only one who could make Landon’s lips curl up in just the slightest movement, but now, as she focused on his lips, she could see the slight tremble in them. 

No, not jealousy. Desire. The urge to pull his face towards hers was stronger than ever and so that’s just what she did. 

She cupped his cheek in her hand, curling her fingers around his ear, and running her thumb softly along his cheekbone. His eyes, once on the fire but now focused on hers still glowed orange, and it sent shivers up and down Hope’s body. 

He parted his lips as his tongue snaked along wetting them in anticipation. Her own mouth was only a few inches from his own, and her hot breath mingled with his, creating a steam against the coolness of the air between them. 

“Landon” her voice ached with desire, almost begging him to close the small distance between them. 

His mouth curled up as her hand slid down his neck, and her thumb caressed his now wet lips.

“Do you know how beautiful you look right now?” he whispered, watching the shadows of the fire dance across her face. 

In any light she was beautiful, of course, but right now, at this moment, the whole world felt like it had fallen away. 

Hope could no longer wait, her face moving closer and closer to his, until their lips finally touched. She sucked in her breath at the contact, and her mind felt fuzzy as Landon’s hands snaked around her waist. Every inch of her body was singing, and she could feel the goosebumps form as the kiss deepened. His kiss was intoxicating, and Hope always felt like she could lose herself if she wasn’t careful. 

She tangled her fingers into his hair, tugging at the curls. The passion between them was hot, and even though she was starting to sweat underneath the sweater she had pulled on earlier, she refused to pull away. 

She moaned against his lips as his mouth travelled to her neck, and she arched her body closer towards him, begging him to touch her. 

Landon’s hands were exquisitely warm, and Hope could feel the heat from them trail along her body as his hands caressed her. 

“Oh my god!” Lizzie screamed at the two lovers, breaking the intense moment.

Hope wanted to scowl at her, and yell at her for interrupting, but when she opened her eyes, she was shocked to see that Landon’s hands were literally on fire. 

He must have noticed the same time she did because the loud gasp that escaped his lips could be heard from across the field. 

“What the?” he cried, shaking his hands trying to put the flames out. 

Lizzie, who seemed too shocked to try any spells to put the flames out, or possibly relishing in the hilarious moment, had nudged at Hope to do something.

Hope’s eyes were focused on Landon, who despite being on fire, didn’t actually seem like he was in pain. 

“Landon--- Does it hurt?” she finally breathed out, stopping him in his tracks.

“What? Oh..” He held his hands out, the flame licking at his skin but not actually doing any damage. “No, actually”

“Landon, I--” but Hope bit down on her lip as she rethought what she was going to say.

Landon waved his hands around, but nothing he did could douse the dancing flames. 

“Try just thinking about putting it out” Lizzie finally piped up, making both Hope and Landon look at her with disbelief. She shrugged her shoulders. “What? I didn’t see you coming up with anything” 

Hope just nodded and turned back to Landon, who had his eyes squeezed shut and was softly muttering under his breath.

Hope watched as the flames slowly died down, until finally they were out, leaving only a trail of smoke in their wake.

“Wow” Landon exclaimed, opening his eyes and smirking , “So I guess kissing Hope IS how I unlock new powers” He laughed as Lizzie rolled his eyes before shifting them in Hope's direction. 

“Oh..” he wheezed, after settling his gaze on her.

Hope’s eyebrows knitted in confusion as she watched him look her up and down. 

“I am so sorry” he finally muttered, a sheepish grin on his face.

“For--” but Hope didn’t have to finish her sentence, because when she looked down, she could see the burned patches in her clothes from where Landon’s hands had been.

Her skin was slightly charred, but with werewolf healing, she hadn’t really noticed it too much. 

“Landon!” Hope exclaimed, “This was my favorite sweater!”


	11. 2X11 One-shots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double take for you!   
> Vit asked for these a while ago, so I wrote them for her.

Bathtub scene:

“Landon” Hope said breathlessly against his mouth. “The water is getting cold”

She pulled back and slid her wet hand against his cheek and over his swollen lips. He smiled and stretched his hand out to feel the water streaming from the showerhead. 

“So it has,” he whispered, pulling his hand back and tangling it in her hair, “I didn’t notice”

Hope grinned and leaned in again to kiss him softly this time. “Should we get out and dry ourselves off?” 

Landon pulled her in tighter, bracing himself against the back of the tub. He kissed the tip of her nose and leaned his forehead against hers. “Do we have to? I’m really enjoying this”

Hope grabbed a handful of his hair and smirked. “You are incorrigible, you know that?”  Landon nodded and winked at her. “Can you blame me?”

“And what if someone walks in on us?” 

Landon’s face shifted into one of mischievousness, “Let them.”

Hope laughed and smacked his chest lightly. The wetness of their clothes and bodies made the sound of her hitting him reverberate off the bathroom walls which only made them laugh harder. 

Landon sighed feeling Hope shivering against him. “You’re cold?” 

Hope nodded, “Only just though.” Hope bit down on her lower lip, thinking.

“You know,” she said, sitting up and reaching over to turn off the water, “We could continue this elsewhere--maybe dry off first?”

Landon’s eyebrow jumped in amusement, “Oh?” 

Hope grinned. “I’d have to go back to my room first though, I don’t have any clothes here”

Landon shook his head, “Nope. That’s wrong. You can wear mine” The image of Hope wearing his shirt gave him goosebumps, and Hope tilted her head in questioning. 

“Does the idea of me wearing your clothes--” but Hope couldn’t finish her sentence before Landon pulled her in again for another kiss. “Absolutely,” he mumbled against her lips. 

“Well then, Mr. Kirby,” Hope moaned softly, “I guess you better dry me off then”

* * *

Floating scene:

“Ow,” Landon said, rubbing his head. Him and Hope were still sprawled on the floor, limbs entangled, their stomachs sore from laughing too hard.

“Well that was new” Hope whispered, a hint of amusement laced in her voice. 

“That was so cool!” Landon exclaimed, sitting up and offering Hope his hand. He pulled her up and she shifted her body so she was sitting almost on top of Landon. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tucked his chin in the crook of her neck. “Want to try again?”

Hope laughed. “We don’t even know how you did it the first time!”

Landon clucked his tongue in thought and a sly smile spread across his face like wildfire. 

“Clearly it has to do with you, more specifically, kissing you” He shifted himself so that he was now face to face with Hope. He brought his hand up to her face and tickled the side of her neck with his fingers, before lacing his hand through her hair. 

Her eyes closed at his touch and her lips parted slightly, letting a soft moan escape. 

He slowly moved his face in closer, and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her into him and closing the gap that had been created when he shifted himself in the first place. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her fingers tangled in the curls at the back of his head. 

“So,” she whispered breathlessly, “kissing me makes you fly?” 

Landon smirked. Her breath against his lips made his head spin and he couldn’t wait any longer. 

“Everything about you makes me fly, Hope. I am head over heels, hopelessly in love with you” and then he crashed his lips against hers, pushing her back until they were both lying on the floor again. 

His hand was under her head, cradling it, and she clawed at him with a passion that they had never felt before. 

“Landon,’ Hope moaned softly, and he pulled his face only slightly away. She grinned and ran her fingers over his jawbone. 

“Have I told you that you’re my hero?” 


	12. Take My Breath Away

I don’t even know how love found me, but when Landon walked into my life, my whole world was changed.

The first time he ever kissed me, he assumed he wouldn’t remember it, but the longing behind that kiss spoke volumes. 

And every kiss since then has been just as passionate and just as beautiful as that one. 

The first time I told him I loved him, it was like I had finally caught my breath. Everything made sense. 

Loving him was the only good thing I had ever done in my life. The only thing I didn't need to make amends for.

Now, as I lay here with my head in his lap and his fingers softly brushing through my hair, I can’t help but feel complete and absolute bliss. 

I missed this. 

I missed the way his fingers would dance across my skin as he kissed me.

I missed the way my fingers would slide through his hair and connect with his curls as I pressed my lips against his. 

I missed the way his hands would pull me in closer to him, as though he couldn't get enough of me. 

I felt the same. I couldn't get enough of him. 

I missed the way his scent would tickle at my senses, and make the butterflies flutter madly within me. 

I missed his eyes. 

I missed the way he loved me so openly and so purely.

I loved him. 

I never thought I could love someone the way I love him. 

It’s more than just a feeling inside of me, it's almost indescribable even to myself. 

I loved the warmth of his hands against my temples. 

I had a headache earlier, and Landon had pulled me into his lap and worked his magic.

I don’t know how he did it, all I knew was that when he was near, and when he was touching me, the whole world fell away and nothing else mattered.

I loved the way his lip would softly brush against mine right before he really kissed me. 

I loved the way his eyes were focused on me, and nothing else. Like they saw who I really was deep inside and it didn’t scare him. 

I loved the way he would brush my cheek with his thumb, almost like he was admiring a painting that was too delicate to touch. 

I loved the way he would say my name, like it was the only one in the world that belonged on his lips. 

I loved the way he would wrap his arms around me, making me feel safer than I had ever felt in my entire life. He never made me feel like a monster. 

I loved how he supported me, even when I didn’t deserve it.

But mostly, I loved the way he loved me. 

Because no one had ever loved me like that. 

And I'm ok with that. 

Because I will never love anyone the way I love him. 


	13. Ten Minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am in love with Hope and Lizzie’s friendship and need as much as it as possible

"What do you even see in Landon?"

The blonde scrunched her nose up in response to the smile that curled itself along Hope's face at the mere mention of his name. 

"Oh.." A hint of pink flushed across Hope's nose as her lashes fluttered softly against the soft curve of her cheekbones. 

Lizzie rolled her eyes and scoffed. It's not that she disliked the mop headed boy, it was just that somehow he had weaseled his way into her inner circle, now that she and Hope were friends, and he constantly talked about his nerd stuff as though she actually understood half the things he was saying!

"No, actually, don't answer that. I don't need to know"

She could see just by the way Hope's eyes sparkled, and how her tongue would peek out against the pink of her lips as it glided softly across the lower one whenever Landon was nearby. Anybody could see just how much Hope loved Landon, the same way it was painfully obvious how much Landon loved Hope. 

Hope laughed before pinching her lips together mocking her friend, but the gesture didn't last long because Hope's ears perked up as a familiar voice echoed from the hallway.

“Landon” Hope’s voice was soft and melodic, a hint of glee lacing the edges of his name as it rolled from her lips. 

Lizzie scoffed again, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. “Can you focus Hope, please?”

Her words cut through Hope’s dreamy expression, as she fixed her blue eyes on her friend. 

Hope tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, pinching her brows together as thoughts raced through her mind. “Are you ok?” She finally asked, her voice low so as not to bring awareness to the question meant solely for Lizzie. 

Lizzie looked almost shocked that Hope had even asked that question, but quickly recovered the confusion that briefly flickered over her features. She furrowed her brows and squeezed her lips together as she shook her head, slightly shrugging her shoulders at the same time. 

“Why would you ask me that?” She finally huffed out through clenched teeth.

Hope took a step closer to her friend, all thoughts set on Lizzie now. She reached out and wrapped her small hand around Lizzie’s forearm and pulled her around the corner, away from prying eyes and perked ears. 

“You just seem more ornery than usual,” Hope said, the concern evident in her soft voice. 

Lizzie’s jaw dropped, “I-- you-- Why would you-- I’m fine” She stammered, clearly not as pulled together as she pretended to be. 

Lizzie sighed as Hope lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow at her in response. 

“I think I preferred it when we didn’t care about each other, you know” Lizzie mumbled, throwing her hands up slightly. 

“I don’t believe that” Hope countered, tilting her head slightly. “Now, just stop being so difficult, and tell me what’s bothering you”

“It’s stupid” Lizzie finally breathed out, before rolling her eyes upwards to stop any emotions from leaking out. 

“Try me” Hope murmured, placing her hand softly over Lizzie’s shoulder. 

“It’s just.. Do you remember when I said that you and Landon are made for each other?”

Lizzie tilted her chin down so that she was looking at Hope again. 

Hope nodded. “I do. It was the first time anyone had ever made me question whether I was doing the right thing…”

“Which you weren’t” Lizzie piped up, smirking at Hope in an attempt to sway the conversation. 

“Nope.. Nice try” Hope replied, “Not getting off that easy”

Lizzie blew out a tiny breath in defiance. “Fine.”

“I see the way you both look at each other.. And it’s just.. I don’t know” Lizzie mumbled, tripping over her words. “Josie found her true love..sort of.. And you and Landon are basically written in the stars, and I just feel… I don’t know.. Left out..” Lizzie turned her back to Hope and sighed. 

“I thought Sebastian was.. But we know how that turned out.. I--” Lizzie dropped her head, bringing her hands to her face before taking a deep breath. Finally she turned back to Hope and lifted her teary blue eyes. “I meant what I said, you and Landon are made for each other, and it’s obvious.. It’s just.. Being around the two of you is hard.. And honestly, I think I’m a little jealous”

Lizzie released the breath she was holding in after confessing. She scrunched her nose up and pinched her brows together as she caught Hope’s expression. “Oh no…” She fired out, “You wipe that expression off your face right this instant”

Hope shook her head in confusion. “What expression?”

“The one where you are looking at me like I’m broken..”

Hope softened her facial features as much as possible. “Liz, we’re all broken. In some way at least. And you have every right to feel the way you do.”

Lizzie pursed her lips, and rolled her eyes to the side, taking a moment to chew on her friend’s words, before finally settling her hardened eyes on Hope. 

“Not one word to mophead.. Got it?”

Hope laughed, “Yeah, I got it. But talk to me when you are feeling upset ok? We’re friends now”

Lizzie shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “Sure, fine.” She mumbled, but couldn’t help the small smile that slinked across her face. 

Hope smirked and leaned in for a hug, gaining another huff from Lizzie, before finally wrapping her arms around her friend for the comfort. 

“Now,” Lizzie said, brushing Hope off, “Back to reality. I think the hobbit was looking for you”

Hope lifted a brow, “Do you have to keep calling him names?”

Lizzie brought a hand to her chest in feigned shock. “And make him think I like him?”

Hope laughed, “Right.. I’m so sorry” She said sarcastically, flashing bright eyes in her direction.

After a moment, Hope’s face softened and she took a small breath in, “But you do.. Right?”

Lizzie tilted her head in confusion, taken aback by the question. “He’s not…. Terrible…” Lizzie answered, widening her eyes at Hope. “You know.. For a nerd…”

Relief flashed across Hope’s features, and she nodded, knowing that was the best she was going to get out of her friend. 

At that exact moment, Landon and Raf came walking around the corner. His eyes lit up the moment he found Hope. “Hey,” he exclaimed, as they drifted towards each other like magnets. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist as hers went up over his shoulders. 

He leaned in and pressed his lips softly against hers. “Hey back,” She said once they pulled away, staring into his eyes. 

“And that’s my cue to take off,” Raf mumbled, “Later Lan”

“Wait up wolf” Lizzie called out, flashing a quick look at the lovebirds, and then back to Raf.

“I need your help with something”

Raf shrugged. “Yeah sure.”

“I’m giving you ten minutes Mikaelson,” She fired out, “Then you are back on decoration duty with me”

Hope waved her off. “Ok” earning yet another scoff from her friend. 

“I mean it” The blonde threatened before walking off with Raf. 

Hope laughed, before leaning her forehead against Landon’s. “You heard her” She teased, “Let’s make the most of these ten minutes” 

Landon smirked, “Did she just challenge us?” 

Hope nodded slightly, “Sounded like it” 

“Well then... “ Landon murmured, before pressing his lips against Hope’s again. 


	14. I Don't Get A Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was feeling a little frustrated when I wrote this. Take from it what you will.

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore Landon” I couldn’t look at him as the words fell from my mouth. There was this hopelessness that had been weighing on my shoulders for a long time now, and no matter how much my heart screamed for him, I couldn’t shake the impending implosion that I knew was coming. 

The silence in the room was deafening. Why wasn’t he saying anything? I took a chance and lifted my eyes to his, instantly regretting it. 

His usually bright and happy eyes were dark and stormy. He was clenching his jaw so hard that the little veins at his temples were popping out. 

“What brought this on Hope?”

I shrugged, and closed my eyes. I couldn’t let him see the tears behind them. 

How could I tell him that it felt like powers greater than me were controlling the strings?

That, no matter how much I screamed that I loved him, it was not good enough?

That I’m just a puppet to them and my own happiness doesn’t matter..

How can I make him know that he even though he is the love of my life, those words don’t mean anything anymore? 

That there are forces out of my control, and they’ve already decided that my fate isn’t with him but with someone else, even though it makes absolutely no sense.

Do my own feelings really matter? 

What was the point of me loving him if he was only going to be torn away from me later on?

I shook my head and sighed. “Because no matter how much I love you, people are never going to accept us.”

“Who the fuck cares what other people think Hope!” He screamed, grabbing my arms. 

“No! You don’t get it Landon! My life is not my own! I’m a plaything to the universe. I’m just some girl, written on the pages of a paper, who’s choices and wants and desires don’t matter. Not really. Because in the end, everything I’ve said will have been a lie.. Because I am not allowed to choose. My choice is being taken away from me”

Landon’s voice cracked as his hand tangled itself in my hair and pulled me closer to him. 

“Do you want me?” His breath on my neck sent chills down my spine. Yes I wanted him. More than anything. He is my one. My destiny. 

I pushed him back, slamming him back harder than intended. “No.” I said breathlessly, my voice coming out in a high pitched squeak.

“I don’t believe that Hope. You can’t even look at me when you say that.”

He moved towards me again, and tucked his hand under my chin to force me to look into his eyes. 

“Do you want me?” He asked again, not allowing me to look away. 

My legs buckled and my arms went around him. “Yes” I cried, my lower lip trembling. 

“Then don’t do this Hope.” He begged as he clung to me. 

I sighed and pulled away from him. “I have to. It’s easier this way. You deserve to be happy”

“So do you” He whispered, wiping away the tears from his face. 

“No.. I don’t..” I said, closing my eyes. “Not to them. They only want what they want, no matter who it hurts.” 

I wanted to cry as he lifted his finger to my cheek and trailed it lightly along my lips, tracing them as though he was memorizing them.

“You’re my soulmate Hope, no one can change that. We know the truth. And the people who love us, who truly know you, know the truth. No matter what you are forced to do, they can’t take that away from us.”


	15. Blood Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just my brain overthinking things again...

“Landon, listen to me” Hope pleaded, holding her hands out towards him. 

_ If you’re going to convince him you are ok, maybe try to stop trembling _

Hope shook off her thoughts and shuffled her feet in one tiny step towards him.

She knew who she was looking at wasn’t the real Landon, but she counted on him still being inside of there somewhere. 

“Let him go,” She whispered, motioning towards the body curled on the ground between them. 

“It’s me you want, right?” She held her hands up in surrender, trying to get him to focus on her. 

His head was lowered, his thick dark lashes fluttering against his cheeks. His shoulders were hunched forward in an attempt to mask whatever emotions were coursing through his body, but Hope had no problem recognizing the way his chest vibrated with laughter. 

_ He was laughing? Maybe Landon really is gone-- Maybe I’m too late _

She took another step forwards, taking one step over the figure, straddling them like a shield. 

His head shot up and she gasped at the wild look in his eyes. 

_ Landon’s eyes… _

But they weren’t. Not anymore. 

His tongue flicked out and licked along his lower lip, before sucking it under his teeth and biting down. His mouth curled up at the corners, snaking across his face and morphing the features until he no longer looked like the man she loved. 

“You know, “ He said, his voice deep and full of rage, “You could just walk away. A creature as powerful as you seems like such a waste to dispose of”

“Even if it means your downfall?” She remarked, a hint of a smirk flashing over her features. 

He laughed louder this time. “Oh, I hardly think you could actually defeat me little one”

There was no fear on his face as he moved towards her which reminded her so much of her Landon for a moment that she had to brace herself to remain steady.

Hope took a breath and reminded herself that this wasn’t actually him, and that she was here for a reason. 

“Please,” She said softly, softening her eyes towards him as he leaned in closer.

“Please, please” He mocked, breathing heavily into her face. “He’s gone. Your effort is futile.”

_ No, I don’t believe it _

He lifted his finger and traced the edge of her cheekbone as she refused to move from her position. 

_ I should stop him. I should push him away. I shouldn’t be thinking about the last time he touched me like this, he told me he loved me _

She refused to allow him to see how his touch had phased her, trying to not even blink in the process. 

Her mouth was slightly agape, and her breathing was shallow as she used every ounce of strength within herself. 

She panicked when his face moved closer to hers, until she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. He leaned in and brushed his lips against her skin, chuckling under his breath as he did so. “He’s fighting me right now, you know” he whispered into her ear, knocking Hope out of her trance.  _ What? _

But before her voice could cross her lips, she caught a glimpse of the silver dagger in his hand, before he slid it right through her heart. 

She gasped, blood bubbling out of her mouth instantly, as she grasped at the dagger.

“Landon,” She mumbled as she stumbled backwards, falling to the ground with a thud, the blood pooling around her as she slowly died.

_ Alone. I’m all alone. _

As the life drained out of her, her eyes remained focused on Landon, who was watching her die with glee in his eyes. 

_ I love you Landon Kirby _

As that last thought crossed her mind, she reached out one last time to him, begging for him to be at her side. 

* * *

As her arm dropped to her side, and her last breath was expelled from her chest, Malivore felt something deep inside, fighting its way up through his chest. 

His hands went to his throat, scratching at his skin until he drew blood. 

Tears sprang from his eyes and he wiped his bloody fingers across his cheek leaving streaks of red painted over his face. 

The pain in his chest intensified as he gasped for air. He wasn’t sure what part of his body to focus on, everything hurt. A pain exploded inside his head, and he roared with fury.

_ YOU KILLED HER!  _

The thought sliced through his head as he fell to the ground beside the lifeless body of the Tribrid. 

Anguish filled his every movement as he drew his knees to his chest, curling himself into a ball. 

Every hair on his body felt like it was being ripped out one by one, as his head screamed at him from within. The heart beating within his chest felt like it was being ripped apart, and he howled at the top of his lungs. “Stop” he cried, digging his fingers into his skin, and dragging his nails across his chest until it bled. 

The dagger he killed Hope with, gleamed in the moonlight beckoning him with freedom. 

He stretched out a bloody hand, wrapped it around the handle and pulled the dagger free from her heart. 

Pain curdled in his chest, forcing him to yelp in pain as he drew his hand back. 

The urge to shove the dagger deep within his heart overpowered his own sense of self preservation, his only thought to get rid of the anguish that had swallowed him whole. 

The tip of the dagger pierced the thin skin over his heart, but he welcomed the physical pain with a sigh of relief. 

Everything settled within his body as the blade sliced through his skin, puncturing his heart until the despair was released. He sighed a breath of relief, allowing his last thought before he closed his eyes to be of Hope. 

* * *

The ash crackled as the body underneath came to life. She held her breath, watching the slight movements become bigger, until finally a hand broke though and reached out towards the sky. 

She sucked her lower lip underneath her sharp teeth, piercing the skin until it drew blood and she could taste the sweetness of the copper against her tongue. 

She didn’t want to die, and she knew he was going to be mad that she had sacrificed herself again, but that didn’t matter to her. If her plan worked, Landon would be back and Malivore would be defeated. 

The ash from his flames scattered through the air as he sat up, and gasped for air. 

“Landon?” She said with baited breath, leaning forward as she reached out towards him. 

His eyes snapped open and he turned his head at the sound of her voice. 

“Hope?” 

Hope smiled as tears streamed down her cheeks, and threw herself into his unexpecting arms. 

“It’s you” she cried, burying her face into his shoulder. 

“You were dead” He whispered, snaking his arms around her body and pulling her close. “I killed you”

“No,” She shook her head, “It wasn’t you… You didn’t know”

Landon pushed her off. “But I did! I watched my own hands push a dagger into your heart… and you didn’t fight Hope. Why didn’t you fight?”

“Because I had a plan. And it worked, Landon. You’re here, you came back to me”

“But you died.”

Hope grabbed his hand and brought it to her cheek, laying his palm against her face. 

“It was worth it. And we don’t have to worry about it anymore”

“How?” Landon asked incredulously. 

“When that dagger killed me, it activated my vampire side. I knew you would fight him if you thought I was dead, I counted on it”

Landon frowned and pulled his hand away. “You couldn’t have been sure I would”

Hope smiled. “Yeah, I could. Because that’s what we do. We fight for each other”

“But how did that stop him?”

“Because when he used the dagger on himself, he was so blinded by your grief, that he didn’t realize my blood was on the dagger..”

Landon’s eyes widened in understanding. “You did all that to save me?”

Hope grinned, remembering when she asked him the same thing. “I’d do it again, and again,...” she broke out in laughter as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. 

“Ok showoff” he whispered, running his thumb across her chin before pulling her in for a kiss. 


	16. I'm Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is based off of Vit's dream.   
> I did give myself free range with the details but it could be continued one day considering where it left off

Hope and Landon slowly climbed the broken stairs, the wood creaking dangerously underneath them. Landon had Hope’s hand squeezed tightly in his and mindlessly running his thumb up and down her smooth skin.

“Are you sure this is where this thing is hiding?” Landon whispered, keeping his voice as low as possible. Hope shot him a quick glance and brought her fingers to her lips to motion for him to be quiet. She tilted her head to the side, perking her ears to listen for any source of sound from within. 

The wood felt soft under their feet, and Landon scuffled his shoes to find more solid footing. 

It was dark out with only the light of the moon to give them any indication of where they were. It was about this time that Landon wished he had eyes like Hope’s that didn’t seem to falter in any light. Hope still hadn’t said anything to him, her ears still perked and her eyes focused on the shards of what used to be a door in front of them. 

Streams of moonlight danced across her face illuminating her features with an eerie glow, her usually blue eyes now piercing yellow as she allowed her werewolf senses to take control. 

If it were anyone else, he would be worried, but Hope had more self control than anyone he knew.

“There is definitely something in there” She finally said, flicking her yellow eyes to his, the color slowly fading as they turned back into her usual ocean blue color. 

“So what’s the plan?” Landon asked, giving his shoulders a quick shrug and what he hoped was a reassuring smile to show that he was indeed NOT worried about Hope’s safety.

“Well, Dorian thinks the creature is a Mare”

“Like a horse?” Landon scoffed, “Is it just me or do these things just get weirder and weirder?”

Hope rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed but Landon could see the soft curve of her lips tug up in a smile. “It’s Norse mythology Landon. A Mare steals the souls of people while they are asleep. That’s why all the victims that have been found were all in bed”

“Umm, ok.. Did Dorian tell you how to defeat it?”

Hope shook her head, sucking in her cheeks as she took a deep breath before slowly releasing it through her pinched lips. “Not exactly. It’s invisible… The twins are helping him though.” She added quickly, sensing his next question. 

He knew better than to argue with her, she wasn’t going to leave now that she had a lead. 

Still Landon had a bad feeling about this house, and wasn’t sure if this was the correct move.

“Come on” Hope motioned with a wave of her hand towards him, as she took several steps forward, balancing lightly on the tips of her feet as she stepped down on the rotten porch. 

She let go of his hand so she could roll hers together, mumbling words under her breath until a shiny ball of light appeared in her palm. Landon knew she didn’t really need it, as she could see perfectly fine, but also that she wouldn’t outright say that she did it just for him. 

“Thanks” he murmured, following right behind her. 

Hope picked up chunks of the door and tossed them lightly to the side, stepping over the broken threshold and becoming engulfed into the pitch black of the house, shielding Landon from the ball of light in her palm, as well as her. 

Something hard hit him and he lurched forward, his hand going up to his head to rub out the pain. 

* * *

_ “Hope?” Landon called out, using his other hand to feel his way around as he pushed forward. “I can’t see you anymore” _

_ A gust of wind brushed past him, chilling him right down to the bones, and he clutched at his body as fear suddenly clamped itself tightly to him.  _

_ “Hope?” He called out again, trying to get his eyes to focus but couldn’t stop the trembling in his hands as he rubbed at his face. _

_ “She can’t hear you” A small voice said from behind him, and he whipped around to see a boy of about 12, still in his blue striped pajamas, staring at him.  _

_ “Holy smokes” Landon stuttered, jumping back, “Who are you and where did you come from?” _

_ “Cooper, and I don’t know anymore” the young boy replied sadly, dropping his chin to his chest. His chest shuttered so hard Landon was afraid the boy would break, and he instinctively reached out to grab the boy. His hands sliced right through him though, and Landon lost his balance, falling forward. He groaned and pulled himself up, rubbing his sore nose in the process. “Ok.. that’s not good” He muttered, glancing up at the boy who only sadly looked at him.  _

_ “What is this place?” _

_ Cooper shrugged. “Hell? I don’t know.. I just.. Woke up here” _

_ Landon looked closer at the boy, something clicking in his brain. “Wait.. I know you”  _

_ He stood up to take a closer look, making sure not to touch anything, and smiled when he found the small Salvatore logo in the corner of the pocket on Cooper’s shirt.  _

_ “You go to the Salvatore School.” _

_ Cooper nodded, “Yeah, and you’re Landon Kirby, the Phoenix. So what?” _

_ “So what? We found your body in your bed.. You’re in a coma..” _

_ “Oh” was all the boy could muster before he sank to the floor and hugged his knees to his chest.  _

_ “What does this mean?” Cooper asked, his wide brown eyes now looking up at Landon with more questions than Landon could answer.  _

_ Landon’s brows pinched together in thought, as he rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet.  _

_ Hope would know what to do.. Right? So what would Hope do? _

_ Landon thought about his girlfriend and how she must be feeling right now, especially since he must have somehow been caught as he walked through the doorway and she was right there when it happened.  _

_ “Ok.. so we can figure this out from this side. It’s ok.. We can do this…” Landon tried to sound as reassuring as possible for Cooper’s sake, quickly glancing at him to make sure he was listening.  _

_ “Hope said the monster steals souls while sleeping.. But I wasn’t sleeping.. “ _

_ He brought his hand up to the back of his head, feeling the bump underneath his fingertips.  _

_ “Unless… I was knocked out” Landon groaned. He sighed and looked down at the young boy.  _

_ “Come on” He said, waving the boy up, “Let’s walk and brainstorm. There has to be something we can do” _

* * *

  
Hope’s heart dropped as Landon’s body crashed through the door frame, crumpling at her feet. 

“Landon?!” Hope screamed, dropping to her knees and cradling his head in her lap. 

“No, no, no, no” Hope continued to mutter under her breath, running her shaky hand down his cheek, “Please don’t do this”

She pressed her fingers to his neck, checking for a pulse, and breathing a sigh of relief as the familiar thump strummed under her fingertips. 

Hope pulled out the school phone that she had swiped from Alaric and dialed the school. 

“I need help” She mumbled into the phone, sniffling back the tears so she could be as clear as possible. “Hurry”

The phone dropped from her ear, landing on the floor with a thud, kicking up a storm of dust around her. She leaned in to press her lips against his forehead, feeling his warmth underneath her kiss. She closed her eyes as she cradled him, rocking back and forth, all thoughts of why they were here out of her mind now. 

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed but once she felt familiar hands on her shoulders, pulling her up, she opened her arms and clung to her friend. 

“It’s ok” Lizzie whispered, nodding at Rafael as he gently picked up Landon’s body. 

Josie opened the car door as Raf carefully slid the body into the back seat. Lizzie guided Hope to the car, Hope’s head still buried into Lizzie’s arm, sobs racking her small frame. 

“His heart is still beating” Raf murmured, moreso to the twins than to Hope, but helping Hope into the back seat so she could sit with Landon. 

The other three climbed into the front seats, all squishing together for the ride back home. 

“We will figure this out, Hope” Josie said calmly, flickering her eyes back to her friend and offering her a reassuring smile. “We’ve got the whole squad doing research”

“He just dropped” Hope mumbled, “I didn’t even see.. I couldn’t even help.. I--” 

“Don’t, Hope” Raf said, stopping her. “It’s not your fault”

“Why didn’t it take me instead?” Hope asked, staring blankly ahead. Raf and Josie glanced at each other, both clearly worried, but neither one wanting to say anything. 

“You know Malivore’s objective is Landon.. “ Raf tried to argue but Hope only shook her head. 

“It doesn’t matter” She slid her hand into Landon’s limp one, and rested it over right over his heart. He was still breathing, Hope could feel that, but somewhere deep inside of her, she knew he wasn’t there anymore. 

* * *

_ Landon brought his hand to his chest and flattened his palm over his heart as he felt something press against it only moments before. It was fleeting, but it was there, and it gave him hope that everything was going to be ok.  _

_ “I know this sounds weird,” Landon said, looking at his companion, “But I think I can get us out of here” _

_ Cooper stopped walking and looked at him, confusion clearly evident across his face.  _

_ “How?” _

_ Landon’s brain cycled through his knowledge of Sci-Fi movies, picking out the most logical explanation.  _

_ “So.. when we found you, you were in a coma.. Your body was still alive.. And Hope said this monster steals souls.. So.. I think we are stuck in some sort of limbo.. If we can get back to our bodies, then maybe we could wake up” _

_ Cooper looked around at the ever expanding blackness of where they were.  _

_ “How are we supposed to get back to our bodies? There is nothing here”  _

_ Landon shrugged. “I don’t know yet.. But I think Hope will help guide the way” _

_ “Hope? She’s here too?” _

_ Landon shook his head. “No.. I don’t think so.. Not physically anyways.. It’s hard to explain” _

_ How could he explain to a twelve year old that he felt Hope with him? The little brush against his chest earlier was her, and he knew it. No matter what anyone wanted to think, they were connected, and it was through that connection that he was going to find his way back to her.  _

* * *

Hope sat on Landon’s bed, next to his still form, pouring through every book they had about Norse Mythology. Lizzie and Josie were both on Raf’s bed, doing the same thing, all wanting to solve the mystery. 

“Look here,” Lizzie suddenly piped up, excitement in her voice. 

“ _ The Mare is the soul of a living person that leaves its body while it is asleep” _

She looked at them, her eyes wide and her lips curved into a huge smile. “Don’t you see what that means?”

Hope was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was curl up next to Landon and fall asleep, “Just tell us Lizzie” Hope snapped, her voice edged with annoyance. 

Lizzie rolled her eyes, and shrugged off Hope’s attitude.

“Think about it! If it is a “living person” then that means that it can be killed. We just have to find the person the soul belongs to”

“Actually, that's pretty genius” Josie stood up and patted her sister on the back. “All the victims were found at the school, so it has to be one of them right?”

“But what does that mean for Landon? Does it say how we get them back?”

Lizzie shook her head, “I didn’t see anything, sorry Hope”

Hope sighed and looked down at Landon’s sleeping form. She knew she couldn’t stay with him, she had to see this through, so she finally nodded and looked up at the twins. “Ok, you guys go and I’ll meet you there”

The girls glanced at each other quickly out of concern, both worried about Hope.

“Maybe…” Josie brought up, trying to be as gentle as possible, “you should stay here..”

“What? No” Hope countered, jumping up to face them. Lizzie pushed down on Hope’s shoulders, looking her in the eyes. “Hope, you’re exhausted, and we’ve got this. You stay here and watch over Landon.. Maybe get some sleep if you can”

“And if you don’t listen, I’ll put up a barrier spell” Josie added, setting her mouth into a firm pout, and crossing her arms. 

Hope glanced behind her, eyeing the bed as a yawn betrayed her. “Ok fine” She said, stomping her foot and scowling at them. Normally she wouldn’t have even considered their words, and would have argued until they gave in, but she really didn’t want to leave Landon.

If Landon was stuck somewhere, maybe she could astral project to him, and she knew the twins would never let her try it with them around. 

Lizzie and Josie smiled at each other and nodded. “Ok Good. We will be back when we can”

Once they were gone, Hope sat next to him and leaned over to brush some curls out of his face. She bent over and softly kissed his cheek, before bringing her lips to his ears. “I’m going to find you Landon. Promise me you won’t give up” 

* * *

  
_ Landon’s hand flew up to his forehead as something brushed across it. “Hope?” He called out, keeping his hand to his head.  _

_ “Promise me Landon” carried across the darkness, filling his ears with her dulcet voice, his face breaking into a smile.  _

_ “HOPE!” He screamed into the void, “HOPE!” _

_ “What are you doing?” Cooper’s voice had an edge of annoyance to it, and he brought his hands up to his ears, covering them while Landon continued to scream Hope’s name.  _

_ “She’s not going to hear you. We are all alone in here!” Cooper stomped over to Landon and waved his hands in front of his face. “Landon stop!”  _

_ Landon clamped his mouth shut and angrily stared down at the boy. “If I can hear her, she can hear me” Landon said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. Cooper rolled his eyes, giving Landon the typical teenage shrug until he finally conceded. “Ok fine. Whatever” _

_ Landon closed his eyes to focus, straining his ears to listen for her voice again.  _

_ Something floral tickled his nose, memories of herbs Hope would use for spells registering in his brain. “Hope” His eyes popped open as he followed the scent with Cooper close on his heels.  _

_ As the scent got stronger, Landon could hear the soft whimpers of Hope calling out his name.  _

_ “Please come back to me” broke his heart as she cried it out, “I’m trying” he called out to her, hoping she would hear him. Her cries echoed throughout the darkness as Landon tredged forwards, until finally light scalded his eyes and he brought his hand up to his eyes to shield them. “I knew it!” He cried, breaking out into a run, heading towards the light until he slammed face first against something and fell backwards, knocking himself out.  _

* * *

  
Hope had Landon’s body cradled in her lap as she sat in a circle of salt, candles lit around her and herbs burning, the tendrils of the smoke curling through the air. 

Hope had her face pressed against Landon’s, her tears rolling down her cheeks and onto his. 

“Please come back to me” She whispered as her lips pressed against his forehead, her eyes squeezed shut. “I can’t lose you too”

Landon’s mouth opened as he gasped for air frightened Hope and she jumped up. His eyelids heavily fluttered until finally they lazily half opened and she could see just a hint of the grey green eyes she adored. 

Landon’s fingers brushed across Hope’s face, wiping away her tears as she stared down at him, her face full of shock, happiness and relief, each emotion flickering over her until finally a smile tugged at her lips. 

“You’re here” She murmured, leaning into him. “I’m here” He copied, cupping her cheek against his palm. 

“Not that I’m complaining… but how?”

Landon ran his hand through her hair, while his thumb lightly tickled her cheek, following the curve of it down to her lips, brushing over them. 

“I followed your voice” He finally said. “You were practically screaming” He teased, winking at her. 


	17. 2x04 Landon's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small one shot from 2x04 in Landon's POV

“You should get back to Josie”

The pain in her eyes screamed at me as she carefully patted my hand and stood up, brushing her hands against her jeans as though the mere touch of me was too much to handle. 

I wanted to call after her, to beg her to come back-- to explain to me why and how I saw her when I died. 

But instead, I sat there, totally mute and covered in ash, but missing the feel of her touch. 

For months, the only solace I had was the blue of her eyes, and the shape of her lips and even though I had no idea who she was, that memory made me feel like I was whole. 

I’d been desperately clinging to her image hoping it would bring me answers, and yet all it did was swallow my heart in even more loneliness everytime I came back. 

Each time I died, I would drag a small piece of the memory with me, not able to make sense of any of it but knowing that somehow it was important.

But it wasn’t until a few minutes ago, that I was finally able to piece it all together. 

Annoyance tugged at my emotions, and I groaned as I brought my hands to my face. 

Why couldn’t she just be straight with me? 

Why did I feel so connected to this strange girl?

I stood up and brushed the rest of the ash off myself before looking around. 

The woods were dark, and mostly quiet other than the sound of an owl hooting and the snap of the twigs under my feet. I recognized the worn down path to the Salvatore School not too far from where I stood.

I grumbled as a cold wind licked at my bare arms, and I crossed my arms against my chest to drown out the cold. 

Did she carry me all the way out here? Why would she do that? Why did she care?

She left me with more questions than answers, and I wasn’t sure what to make of any of them. 

I rolled her name over my tongue as I walked. “Her name is Hope.. Hope.. Hope” hoping that it would dislodge the lock in my brain, but no matter how many times I said it, nothing worked. 

I groaned and wiped my hand over my face before opening the door to the school and making my way up to my room. Raf was out, so the room was quiet. 

I quickly showered away the rest of the ash, closing my eyes as images of Hope played over and over again in my brain. 

After the shower, I still felt unsettled. I swiped my guitar and sat on the side of my bed, fiddling with the strings until a melody softly strummed through the air. 

There were no hesitations in the notes as my fingers danced across the delicate strings, filling the room with a haunting melody. I knew this song. How did I know this song?

Images of Hope smiling fluttered through my mind, rapidly at first, but eventually slowing down until I could see her just as clearly as though she was standing in front of me. 

Would I ever get the answers I was seeking? But most importantly, would I ever find out who Hope was?


	18. Deadly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of spice for the group chat

“Do you have any idea what this means?” Hope was nestled in the crook of Landon’s arm, with his hand gently playing with her fingers.

She shifted her body, resting her cheek against his chest and tilting her head so that she was looking up into his eyes. The smile on her face was magnified by the adoration she saw reflected in his eyes. 

“Not really” He replied, lifting his brows sheepishly and pressing his lips together.

Hope propped herself up on her elbow and grinned at him. The thoughts swirling around in her head was enough to make her want to jump for joy, but she loved the way he looked in this moment, and it caught her by surprise on how breathless he could make her. 

She brushed her hand along his forehead, pushing back the curls that had nestled themselves against his skin as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. 

He answered back with a slight moan, bringing his hand to the back of her head and pushing himself into the kiss. He lifted himself up with fervor, his other hand wrapping around her waist and his fingertips dancing with the hem of her shirt.

“Landon,” She moaned his name against his lips, curving them upwards into a smile as his touch sent shivers up her spine. 

She threaded her fingers around his ear, and through the hair on the side of his head, tugging at it with impatience. 

Their bodies melted together as their hips danced with the motion of their passion. Hope could hear his heart beating furiously inside his chest, as her hand trailed down his arm, stopping at the sleeve of his shirt, and slipping her fingertips just under the fabric, tickling the hairs on his arms. She then moved her hand along his waist, and down until she found an opening to his shirt. She needed to touch him, to feel him, to know what it was like to press her hand against his bare skin and feel the thumping of his heart against her palm. 

Landon’s breathing quickened as her hand slid up his shirt. A growl erupted from his swollen and wet lips as she pulled away from him, the hand on the back of her head, keeping her face close enough that she was still within kissing distance. She smirked and flicked her tongue out, running it along his upper lip, making his body tremble as her hot breath mixed with his own. 

She strummed her fingertips against his chest. His hand was still on her waist, only now his thumb was under her shirt and caressing her side. He was toying with the idea of moving his hand higher, but he was enjoying the game they were currently playing and wasn’t ready to fully give in to his desires quite yet. He narrowed his eyes and grinned, as her eyes fluttered wildly at his touch. He started to pull his hand away, watching the way her eyes popped open and her lip instantly jutted out into a pout. A sly smile spread like wildfire across his face. “Something the matter?” He said in a lowly voice, teasing her. 

She squirmed against him, trying to force his hand back to her skin. “That’s not fair” She whined, bringing her mouth so close to his that he could nibble along her lower lip if he wanted to.

“What isn’t?” He asked, attempting to make himself seem innocent. The hand she had under his shirt, curled up until he could feel her nails slowly rake across his bare skin, instantly making the hair on his arms stand up. “If you’re going to play dirty, then I will too” She grinned, pressing her nose against his. “Now,” She whispered, “Touch me, or I might die”

Landon held his hand just at the base of her shirt, his fingers resting just underneath the hem, as he contemplated her words. “Are you sure?” He asked, blinking rapidly. 

She nodded and slid her hand down to his waist, toying with his belt. “Deadly”


	19. The Song of Art

She tapped the paintbrush softly against the canvas, before brushing it across the top corner, and bringing it down along the edge. The trail of color popped against the dark of the background, and Hope smiled to herself as the image started to take shape. 

She rested the end of the brush against her lips, scanning the canvas as she tried to decide what to do next. Normally she would just let the brush guide her, but every once in a while she would pop headphones in and let the music take over. 

The soft pop number she had blasting in her ears right now, gave off romantic vibes, and so naturally when she thought of romance, her mind always saw Landon. The flames of the paint were spread across the canvas in an arch, blasting the eyes with hues of orange, red and yellow. 

She closed her eyes and bobbed her head along with the guitar solo, allowing the words to flow freely from her lips.

She wiggled her hips as her eyes opened wide, inspiration hitting her full in the chest. 

She dipped the brush in a light blue, placing it on the canvas and then pulling it across the arch of flames. She repeated the same motion with a light green, and then a dark pink. 

Hope was so involved in her painting, that she didn’t hear her door softly open and close, nor did she see her boyfriend slip quietly into the room. 

He had a small tray in his arms, balancing a cup of tea and a small plate of cinnamon sugar dusted donuts. 

He called out her name as he carefully put the tray down on a side table just inside her room but chuckled to himself when he noticed the headphones in her ears. 

He watched in awe as she worked on the painting, not wanting to disrupt her from her vision. 

When she started to hum along, and then sing loudly at whatever she was listening to, Landon shook his head in disbelief. ‘Wow” He breathed out, drifting towards her, mesmerized. His heart swelled with pride as he listened. Was there anything she couldn’t do? How did he get so lucky?

He closed his eyes and swayed to the soothing melody of her voice, completely entranced. 

A gasp brought him back to reality, and he popped his eyes open to find Hope staring at him, a pink blush spreading like wildfire across her cheeks. 

He smiled at her and reached out to brush his finger along the bridge of her nose and over her cheekbone. “You’re blushing” He said stupidly, rolling his eyes at his own comment.

She reached up and wrapped her small hand around his wrist, guiding it to the side of her face. His fingers spread apart as his hand opened up, cupping her cheek as she leaned into his open palm.

“How long were you standing there?” She asked as her lashes fluttered against his touch. 

“Long enough to overhear you singing” He said with a smirk. “Why didn’t you tell me you could sing like that?!” 

“Oh-- I, uh, I’ve never really sang in front of anyone before--” She dropped her hand from his wrist and tilted her head away from him. Her shoulders shrugged as she sighed. 

“I mean, there was this one time with my mom and dad- but-- since they died.. “ Her voice trailed off as it crackled with pain. 

Landon inched forward before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his own body. “I’m sorry Hope. I didn’t mean to--” but she placed her fingers against his lips. “No, don’t be. It’s ok.”

He smiled at her as he looked deeply into her ocean blue eyes. “What?” She asked, pinching her brows together. 

“Oh, you know--” He mumbled, grinning at her. “I was just wondering how it was possible that I got lucky enough to have someone as incredible and amazing as you to fall in love with me”

Hope tilted her head in confusion. “How  _ you _ got lucky?” She said with disbelief. “I have been wondering the same thing”

Landon shook his head. “I--” but he choked on the words, his emotions teetering on the edge. 

“How do you always do that?”

“Do what?” She murmured, her lips dropping into a slight pout. 

“Take my breath away” He replied, before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers


	20. Don't Look Back

I couldn’t look back. If I looked back, there would be too much regret and regret was something I really didn’t want to feel anymore. 

But if I was being really honest with myself, there was more than just the regret that I didn't want to feel, but opening up that can of worms wasn’t going to help the situation. Leaving was easier. Leaving was always easier.

If I was a vampire, i would have turned off my humanity at this point, but I had no desire to kill myself, and so compartmentalizing everything was the best way to move passed it all. 

The last two years with Landon had been some of my most happiest and cherished moments of my life, but I should have known better. 

Mikaelsons don’t get happy endings, and I was no different. 

The school didn’t need me, no one needed me. That much was obvious when I came out of the Malivore pit. 

Landon was happy with someone who could give him what he needed, someone who wasn’t a broken mess. 

The monsters were non-existent, Lizzie was finally healthy and my family was better off.

And again, if I was being completely honest with myself, coming out of the pit was my own selfishness getting in the way of everyone else. I needed to find Landon. I needed to get back to my friends… Me, me, me!

I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut as tight as I could, trying hard to trap the tears that I desperately didn’t want to let out. 

_ Stop it Hope! _

I stomped my foot against the hard cold ground in an attempt to shake off these pesky feelings. I wanted to scream, and I was so close to it, but the sound of leaves crunching under heavy feet stopped me in my tracks. 

I knew without turning around who it would be. The wolf smelled him before it even registered in my brain, and she whined as I stood there, refusing to turn around. 

“You aren’t going to look at me?” He growled, an edge to his voice that used to drive me wild, but now only serves to remind me what I was running away from. 

I sighed deeply, making sure he heard, and shook my head. “Would it make a difference?” I finally asked, my voice barely above a squeak. 

I leaned my hand against the hard bark of the tree next to me, scraping my fingernails so hard I could smell blood. 

“You leaving is bullshit Hope and you know it!” 

The warmth of his body was directly behind me now, and I knew that if I turned around, all it would take to make my knees buckle would be one look into his eyes. His beautiful eyes.

_ Be strong _

His soft touch as he brushed his fingers over the back of my neck, made my whole body vibrate, but I firmly kept my back to him, wishing away the shivers. 

He wouldn’t force me to turn around, and for that I was grateful, but between the scent of his desire and the way his sadness drifted off him in waves, my mind was riddled with confusion.

I could hear him shift his body weight onto his other leg, and the way he mindlessly rubbed at his arm with his hand after he pulled his warm touch away from my skin.

I could picture the way he was looking at me right now, begging me with his eyes to just come home. To be with him. To stay.

I wanted to be strong, to tell him goodbye one last time, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Leaving him was the hardest thing I had ever done, and him being here right now wasn’t making this any easier.

“Landon, please” My voice shook with indecision, and he grasped onto that as quickly as it released from my lips. 

His arms snaked around my waist and pulled me tight against the front of his body. His chin found its way into the crook of my neck, and his lips lightly trailed soft kisses from my shoulder to my ear. 

I wanted to turn around and press my lips against his. I wanted to tangle my fingers in his inky black curls, and feel the way his heart would speed up at even the smallest touch of mine, but my mind screamed at me.

_ Don’t.  _

_ Please.  _

_ Just let him go _

Tears fell from my eyes and I brought a hand up to wipe them away, biting down hard on my lip to stop the pain of letting go from overwhelming me. 

“Landon please” I cried again, seemingly only able to get those words past my lips, my knees wobbling as I pleaded. 

“I love you Hope. Please don’t leave me”

His words were like ice against my skin, sending chills up and down my spine. He knew all too well what it was like for people to leave him behind, and now I was doing the same thing. 

“I’m not good for you” I finally breathed out after what seemed like an eternity. In reality, I didn’t want him to stop touching me, because the moment he did, I wouldn’t be able to hold it together any longer.

“Just look at me” He whispered, his breath tickling my ear, “You owe me that much”

“I can’t Landon.” and it was partly true, but he knew me better than that.

“You won’t” He corrected me, dropping his hands from my waist and removing the warmth of his body. 

I wanted to fall to my knees and cry, but that wouldn’t accomplish what needed to be done.  The only way he was going to let me go was if I made him. 

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hardening myself from what I was about to do. 

I slowly shifted my body around until I was facing him, but I kept my eyes downcast bracing myself to look up.

“You can’t look at me can you?” He finally murmured, lifting his hand out towards me, just in my line of sight. I bit down and took a step back, not allowing him to make the contact I so desperately wanted. 

“Don’t touch me” I finally choked out, keeping my eyes closed as I lifted my head to finally look at him. 

When my eyes fluttered open, I tried as hard as I could to make them as icy as possible so that this would be easier, but try as I might, the moment I saw his face, I buckled. 

“Why are you doing this Hope?” His grey green eyes searched mine desperately, trying to understand what was going through my head.

“Because I have to Landon. Because it’s for the best”

His lips curved downwards as he frowned at me, causing his brows to snap together angrily. 

I could see the anger simmer over, and knew that he wasn’t going to be able to hold it together very much longer.

_ Good. It’s easier when he’s angry _

"How is this for the best?" He said through clenched teeth, glaring at me. "How is any of this going to help anyone?!" 

I stiffened my shoulders and narrowed my eyes, making sure he knew how serious my next words were going to be.

"No one needs me here. I never should have come back" 

Landon scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. "Is that really what you think?" 

"It's what I know" I stated firmly, keeping my voice even.

Landon threw his arms up in the air and sighed. "You are so infuriating sometimes" 

I laughed. "And yet you want me to stay? How fucked up is that Landon? Don't you see? We aren't good for each other. We never have been" 

Landon brought his hand up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. I could see his chest rise and fall as he was no doubt telling himself to calm down. 

“Look,” he finally said in an even tone, “I don’t believe that you really think that. I know we have something special Hope. I know you feel it too”

His resolve softened and he moved towards me with his arms open. 

I stepped back but he wouldn’t let me. His arms found their way around my waist again, and he pressed his lips against mine as quickly as he could so that I didn’t have time to pull away. 

_ God I wanted him _

I couldn’t help but kiss him back, my hands finding their way to his face, and through his hair. I moaned against his lips, allowing myself to fall deeper and deeper under his spell. 

My nails dug into his skin as I clawed at him desperately, the wolf inside wanting to take over.

_ I needed him. He smelled so good… _

A voice in my head screamed and my lungs burned as he clutched to my body like a lifeline. 

“No, no, no” I mumbled against his lips, attempting to push myself off of him. “This can’t happen, I can’t do this.”

His mouth was bruised and his breathing was rapid. I could hear his heart strumming out of control in his chest, as his bewildered eyes clung to mine. 

“Don’t you get it Landon? Things will never change if I don’t leave”

Landon only shook his head, but I refused to let him get anything in before I started again. 

“This” I wiggled my finger between the two of us, “was never supposed to happen. We are doomed. We always have been”

“I don’t believe that Hope. And I know you don’t either. Stop doing this. You deserve to be happy just like the rest of them. We deserve to be happy Hope” His voice cracked as the raw hard emotions tumbled from his mouth. 

“You’re right Landon. You do deserve to be happy, which is why I’m leaving”

Landon’s jaw tightened before he dropped his head and lowered his shoulders in mock defeat.

"Do you honestly think I could be happy without you?" He whispered with a trembling chin.

_No_

"Yes" The word sliced across my tongue, easier than I ever imagined it could. He stepped away from me, his chest vibrating with heavy breaths.

 _Finally I was getting through to him_

But the moment was short lived, because when he lifted his head again, I could see the fire in his eyes. 

“This is so typical of you” He blurted out, not attempting to hide the pain in his voice anymore.

“You think that just because you are this rare mythical creature and you had a shitty childhood, that it gives you the right to just throw people away when you feel like it.”

My mouth dropped open as his words blasted me without warning. 

“But here’s the thing. You aren’t the only one who’s had a crappy life. Nor are you the only mythical creature around here, so you don’t get to choose what is best for the rest of us, least of all me. I LOVE YOU, and I know you love me-- so you leaving isn't for me or for the school, it’s because you can’t handle the fact that you could be happy. Because it goes against your whole ‘I’m a cosmic mistake, I was never meant to be born’ bullshit”

“I--” but I quickly changed my train of thought. “No, you’re right Landon. I don’t hold the patent on shitty lives, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what is best for me, or my happiness. And it’s not here, and it’s not with you. So let me go.”

My chest heaved as I spat out the lie. It was like poison on my lips and I instantly regretted it, but I knew that he wasn’t going to let me go if he still believed I loved him. 

“You are such a hypocrite” He finally blurted out, “And a liar”

Landon’s eyes dropped to my trembling hands, and a slight curve of his lips confirmed his suspicions. 

“You can’t even lie without giving yourself away Hope! You’re trembling”

This approach wasn’t working. There was no way I was going to convince him that I didn’t love him, or need him anymore. I searched my brain for a solution, but came up empty. 

Landon knew me too well, and he would always fight for me. I needed to do something drastic, something he wouldn’t dare try to defy. 

“Ok, fine! I love you! You happy? Do you think this changes things? Love isn’t enough. It will never be enough to do what needs to be done. I’m leaving Landon, and I don’t want you to follow me.”

I swallowed back the sob that threatened its way up, instead trying to make myself look as serious as I had ever been. “Come after me, and I will be forced to do something drastic”

Landon scoffed. “What? Kill me? Hate to break it to you Hope, but you’ve already done that.”

I shook my head, making sure he was watching the slow deliberate movements when I finally spoke up. “I’ll go wolf, and I will never come back. I will disappear for good.”

“You wouldn’t” Landon challenged, but I could smell the shift from anger to fear the moment my words hit him. 

“Go away Landon. Forget about me. You've done it once before.”

I couldn’t stand to see the break in his resolve, nor the way his eyes welled up in tears as it finally hit him.

"You didn't give me the choice Hope."

I turned away, shielding my own face from his so he couldn’t see how broken I was. The wolf inside me whined as she whispered her own comforting words into my ear. 

She knew how to forget, how to disappear, and as much as I tried to hold on, I didn't want to any longer. I wanted to be free.

Once I was a wolf, Landon wouldn’t matter anymore, and I could finally shed all that held me here. 

I fell to my knees and allowed her to take over, the transition smoother than it ever had been.

“Goodbye Landon” were the last thoughts that crossed my mind, as my blue eyes changed to yellow ones, and my four feet hit the ground, running as far away from him as I could. 


	21. Sometimes Going Back Is All You Can Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because so many of you asked for it, here is Part 2 of the last Chapter (Don't Look Back)

The wolf’s paws pounded against the earth as she ran, her claws digging into the soft underbelly of the forest as she allowed her nose to guide her. 

She couldn’t remember how long she had been running, but there was a familiarity in her actions with every push of her muscles. She wasn’t driven by memory, nor emotions, but by something more primal. Something that screamed so loudly in her bones that she spent every night lifting her muzzle in the air, and crying into the moonlight. 

It had been months since she had shifted, the last time being right after she had run away. 

After she left Landon behind, Hope had run as far as she could, allowing the wolf to take over so she could bury the pain away. It was hours before she finally stopped, the wolf not able to handle the immense grief of the situation. She collapsed to the ground, her body shuddering with the change, until she was nothing more than a slobbering, anguished mess, curled up into a ball. 

Hope didn’t really want to leave. She loved Landon more than anything, but the thought that one day she could lose him was too much. So she took matters into her own hands. And well, he had moved on once, she was sure he would move on again. 

After she had let it all out, and her tears had run dry, she begged the wolf to take her over again. 

She didn’t want to feel anymore. Every breath she sucked in burned through her chest as though her heart was on fire, devouring her from the inside. 

But the wolf refused to give in, and so Hope was lost in an endless cycle of despair until she was so bloody and raw and broken, that she eventually gave up. 

Once she let go, and had fully given herself over to the pain, the wolf took back control. And when she was awoken with new eyes, the world was reborn. 

Hope was no longer the wolf, and the wolf was no longer Hope. There was no disconnect between the two anymore, they were one body, one heart, one mind. 

And it was great at first. She ran, she fed, she chased--it was perfect. She wasn’t weighed down by emotions, or desires. She was just alive, and living for each moment. 

But she found herself wondering over time, and eventually the wolf got restless. 

Hope’s mind started to clear, and when that happened, her eyes would softly flicker between blue and yellow, Hope and the wolf. 

She didn’t even realize where she was going until she crossed that line, and a scent as familiar as breathing slammed against her so hard she lost all senses. 

Now everything seemed so complicated, and the wolf whined in frustration. 

She paced at the edge of the forest, her head constantly down, nose in the dirt, ears slicked back to her head as she battled whatever was going on inside of her. 

The scent was intoxicating, drilling her nostrils with every sucked in breath of air. But she had been a wolf for too long, and her mind was still too fuzzy to realize just exactly what it meant. 

She knew it was familiar, and she knew it mattered, but there was caution behind it as well. Something that stopped her from fully exploring it beyond the edge of the forest. 

Hope was content allowing the wolf to pace. Whatever she had lost here, whatever she had buried deep within, scared her, and so she had no desire to take control. 

Every night, she would lay in a den, wrought with familiarity and another smell that she recognized, and would chirp softly at the moon. 

But with each passing day that she spent there, the wolf would lose more control, and her eyes took longer to shift back from the blue. When that happened, Hope’s mind clung to the comforts of her past. 

Her family. New Orleans. The school. 

But there were gaps. Blackness that she couldn’t cross. That she was afraid to step over. 

And it was those moments, where she would retreat back into the emptiness of the wolf, that her eyes would flash back a brilliant yellow.

And all would be pushed away once again. 

And it worked for her. 

Until the day it didn’t.

It started off as any other typical day. The wolf paced the grounds, circling around the old dilapidated building that reeked of sweat, and ash and must, finding her footing as she searched for nothing, but everything at the same time. 

But something was different about the air today. 

The wind carried a whimsical feel to it, something that made the wolf uneasy and caused her chest to rumble with vibrations. 

A twig snapped behind her, and she whipped her head around, flattening her ears against her head, as a low growl slipped from her lips. 

A young man stood off to the side, his face ashen as he stared at her, eyes wide and chin trembling. 

“Hope?” rolled from his lips. The word carried so much weight behind it that the wolf pawed at the ground with unease. Her eyes flashed back and forth, blue to yellow, yellow to blue, fighting against the young woman who so desperately wanted to run away.

The scent of despair rolled off the young man in waves, creeping into every corner of the wolf’s mind, tickling his icy cold fingers through her phantom hair, tugging at her to release herself from the prison she locked herself into. 

He took a step towards her, ignoring the way her lip curled over her teeth, and the low menacing growl that vibrated within her chest. 

“Hope?” He repeated again in complete disbelief, his voice so high pitched that it confused her.

She shook her large head, before falling to the ground, and pawing at her ears. 

Something inside her head screamed with rage, or maybe despair, she honestly couldn’t tell anymore. 

The closer he came to her, the stronger his scent intoxified her, making her head spin, and she squeezed her eyes shut to block it all out. 

But there was a shift in that moment as if his scent were the key to unlocking it all, and Hope’s mind freed itself from its chains, recognizing exactly who it was that stood in front of her.

She could no longer avoid the gaps in her memories, and the blackness came for her. It sucked her under, threatening to drown her with every breath she took. 

She screamed and clawed her way out of the wolf, forcing herself to shift, but begging her body to wait, to run, to escape. 

It wasn’t until she felt something soft brush against her skin, her very bare, furless skin, that she realized she was Hope again. 

She curled herself into a ball, squeezing her eyes shut tightly, trying to garner any warmth she could from whatever it was that covered her. 

Arms swept under her body, lifting her up with ease, a scent so familiar once again invading her nostrils. It was so comforting that she buried her face in his chest, pressing her nose against the cotton shirt he was wearing and breathing in as deep as she possibly could. 

He carried her into the old building, and carefully set her down on the ripped, musty couch that was pressed up against the far wall. She didn’t want to let go or maybe she didn’t know how to let go, either way, he had to uncurl her fingers from his shirt in order to sit back properly.

He pushed back the hair from the side of her face, his fingers gently caressing her cheek, lingering longer than intended. 

“Sorry,” He said quickly, a blush spreading across his face as she lifted her blue eyes to meet his. 

“I--” He stammered, “I can’t believe you’re back”

Hope struggled to find her voice, it had been so long since she had actually used it, and she wasn’t sure if it even worked anymore. 

She sucked her bottom lip under her teeth, as her chin trembled uncontrollably. 

She lifted a shaky hand to her face to wipe at phantom tears yet to fall, giving herself more time to comprehend what was happening. 

Landon must have sensed her hesitation, because he wrapped his hand around her wrist, and gently pulled it away from her face.

“Hope,” He said her name again, only this time, his voice was low, almost a murmur, and bathed her in more warmth than she had known for a long time now.

She wasn’t sure what to do. Every moment that she had tried to brush away between them hung heavily in the air, and the love she felt for him was still as strong as it had ever been.

But it had been months, and even though he was looking at her with eyes so dreamy she found it hard to breath, she just couldn’t stop thinking about why she ran in the first place. 

She pulled her face away from his and sighed. “I--” she tried to say, but her voice was so scratchy that she choked and started to cough. 

Landon’s hand softly rubbed circles on her back, comforting her in the way he always used to. 

She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that she could feel forming behind her eyelids, and moaned in a mixture of pain and embarrassment. 

“Hey, shhh, it’s ok” Landon consoled her, bringing his other hand to her face and cupping his palm against her cheek. 

She couldn’t help but lean into his touch, remembering how much she craved it.

“Landon,” she finally breathed out, the word rolling off her lips with ease. 

She lifted her eyes to his once again, her breath catching in her throat as she lost herself in the depths of her overwhelming emotions. 

As she stared, she found herself leaning further and further into him, until her lips hovered just over his. She wanted to kiss him. Everything inside of her begged to press her lips against his, remembering how soft they were, and how he tasted against her tongue. 

She parted her lips, allowing her tongue to peek out and glide along them, wetting them in anticipation. 

His breathing picked up as his heart thumped wildly, invading her ears like a drum, betraying any sense of calm he tried to portray.

She knew this was wrong, that this couldn’t happen. Yet the ache in her chest, and the tremble of her body screamed otherwise.

“I’m sorry” she finally huffed out, pulling away from him as fast as she possibly could, knocking him off balance. 

“I-- I--I left for a reason…”

“Then why did you come back?”

His question was innocent enough, and yet she didn’t know the answer to it. 

Why did she come back? Why was she so drawn to this place that even after she lost herself in the wolf, the wolf still found its way back here?

Hope shook her head, her breath caught in her throat, watching the way his lashes softly brushed against the curve of his cheek every time he blinked, and the slight dusty shadow of stubble peppered across his jawline that called out to her. 

She lifted her fingers to his face, dancing them swiftly across his chin, working her thumb up to his lip, pulling at it with the corner of her nail. 

“I can’t drag you into this again Landon” she breathed out, shaking her head. 

“You keep saying that Hope,” he murmured, flexing his fingers so that he could brush his thumb along her quivering jaw. “But this right here, this electricity that we feel, screams otherwise.”

Hope sucked in a deep breath, as she closed her eyes and dropped her hand from his face. 

“That doesn’t matter,” She crackled out, her voice barely over a whisper. 

Landon sat back, any warmth from his hands now curled lightly in his own lap, sending shivers down her spine from the chill that settled itself back into her bones.

“When are you going to allow yourself to be happy?” He finally breathed out, his brows pinched together in confusion, biting down on his lip that made Hope’s knees tremble.

“I--” but instead she only shook her head. She didn’t have an answer for him. She didn’t even have an answer for herself.

“Hasn’t your life been quieter since I left?” She asked, steering the conversation in another direction. “Aren’t you happier now? Aren’t you all happier now?”

Landon stood as he rubbed at his face with his hand, and shook his head. 

“Is that really what you think?” he finally asked, turning his intense green eyes on her. 

“That we’re happy? That I’m happy?”

He knelt down to her side, and took her hand into his, softly running his thumb along her palm, “Hope, my love for you isn’t conditioned on you being here or not. And if you really look deep down in yourself, you’ll know that neither one of us has been happier. That’s why you came back, isn’t it?”

“That’s not true” she croaked out, her tongue feeling like rubber in her mouth. 

“Look at you, Hope” Landon observed, “You can’t even convince yourself. Nothing has changed.”

He tucked his other hand under her chin and tilted it slightly so that she would look at him, “Why did you come back Hope? Can you at least be honest with yourself about that?”

She wasn’t sure why he kept saying her name like that, over and over again. It was almost like he was still trying to believe that she was actually here in front of him, and not some figment of his imagination.

“I--the wolf… she--” she stammered, blinking rapidly, and scooping her shoulders inward. 

“Dammit Hope,” Landon growled, dropping his eyes heavily and clenching his teeth, “Why can’t you just be honest?! You left us.. You left me..” His voice cracked with pain, as he dropped his eyes to their still intertwined fingers. “And yet..I--I see you here, your hand is in mine.. And I have thought about this moment for months---” Landon slid his hand along her cheek into her hair, and curled his fingers against her scalp, “what it would be like to touch you again.. To be near you again...” 

“Landon don't,” Hope whispered, biting her lip in pain.

“Don’t what Hope? Love you? Miss you? Want you?” He shook his head. “I’m sorry but you don’t get to choose that for me.”

He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes so he could get it all out without completely breaking down. 

“ I am in love with you. No amount of time nor distance will change that. You could be across the ocean or in another dimension, hell, you could be dead and I will still love you. So can we just cut this charade and realize that neither one of us wants to be apart from each other?”

Landon sucked in a breath before slowly releasing it through pinched lips. “Can’t we just take it one day at a time?”

The wolf, who had been quiet up until this point, growled in her head. She wanted him. This was why she came back. This was why the wolf was drawn here, why she needed to be here.

Deep down she knew it. And the only person she was trying to fool was herself. 

Hope snaked a hand up along his arm, slowly and deliberating scratching her nails along his bare skin giving his goosebumps and sending shivers down his entire body. 

Her fingers finally landed just under his chin, so she could frantically guide his lips to hers, not wanting to wait any longer. 

She pulled him against her, leaning back as his hand fell under her head, and his lips desperately pushed back against hers. 

The hand she had tucked under his chin, fell to his side, and curled up under his shirt, aching to feel his skin against hers. 

She flattened her hand against his back, relishing in the warmth underneath her palm and finally for once, feeling like she was where she belonged. 

“I’m sorry” She whispered, as their lips disconnected so he could softly kiss a path along her chin to the crook of her neck. “Landon--” 

He backtracked his kisses along her neck, back up to her chin and then softly pressing against her lips again, before pulling away so he could fix his warm eyes on hers. 

“I know,” He murmured, kissing the tip of her nose. “But you’re here now, that’s all that matters.”

A sly smile inked its way across his face as he looked down on her, his hand softly brushing against her cheek.

They both knew they weren’t done talking, that it couldn’t just be buried with a kiss. But in that moment, that’s all Hope wanted. That’s all she needed. Everything else could be figured out later. 

The hand she still had on his back, slid up his shirt, and around to his chest, so she could twist her fingers over his heart. It thumped madly under her palm, matching the beat of her own, almost to the point of mimicking each other.

“So--” She purred, slipping her other hand into his curls and pushing her nose against his, “How do we make up for lost time?”

“I have a few ideas” he grinned, catching on, his eyes sparkling. 


	22. You Promise?

“Landon, talk to me, please!” Hope threw her hands out, grabbing onto his arms and pulling him around to face her. He shrugged her off and took a few steps backwards. “Don’t do that” He yelled, shaking his head. “Don’t act like what I did doesn’t matter!” He dropped his shoulders and turned his back to her. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I don’t deserve anyone’s forgiveness”

Hope inched closer to him, her heart hurting as she watched him shrivel into himself. She lifted her hand out to touch his shoulder, but she pulled back, afraid he would run from her if she did.

“It wasn’t you Landon” She said softly, trying to break through. “You never would have hurt anyone on purpose”

His shoulders stiffened as he heard her take another small step towards him. With his head still down, and his eyes downcast, he turned his body so that his chest was facing hers. 

“And what if I told you that you’re wrong? That somehow I knew what I was doing and I didn’t fight it?”

Hope’s mouth dropped and her hand flew to her chest, clutching to her shirt. She needed to touch him, to hold him, to feel his arms around her waist, but fear held her back, so she clung to herself instead. “Is that true?” she asked after a few moments of contemplation. 

He lifted his head and the fear that she saw in his eyes almost brought her to her knees. 

“I killed someone! I hurt people! I shouldn’t be given a second chance.” He pounded his fist against his chest as he glared at her. His whole body trembled as he did so, his eyes red and wild and fixated on hers.

“I’m not the same person anymore Hope. I am NOT good. Just leave me alone!”

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her into the wall, pinning her against it. 

He brought his face in close, and Hope could feel his breath against her cheek as his lips grazed her. 

“Stop trying to save me” He growled into her ear, before pushing off her and walking away.

Hope leaned her head back on the wall and closed her eyes, giving herself a moment to breath before following him. 

She jumped as the front door slammed shut, her eyes popping open and her heart thumping wildly in her chest. 

She ran after Landon, flinging the door open and catching a glimpse of him as he stormed off into the rain, towards the dock. 

“Landon!” She called out, but he refused to turn around, his footsteps getting heavier and heavier as he walked away. 

She sighed deeply before shutting the door and following him. 

“Landon!” she cried again, the rain soaking through her shirt as she ventured further outside.

“You don’t get to do this! You don’t get to walk away!” 

He stopped walking and dropped his shoulders. “Why not? You did”

His words stung, but Hope kept pressing forwards. “You’re right. And that was the biggest mistake of my life. One I regret every single day”

“Go away Hope,” He moaned in agony. “Just go away”

He dropped to his knees and threw his hands over his face. His chest heaved with uncontrollable sobs as she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his head and pulling him against her stomach. She ran her fingers through his wet curls, pulling them off his face as they clung to his skin. He buried his nose against her stomach as his arms snaked around her waist. 

“I’m not going anywhere” She murmured, trying to soothe him. “Remember what you told me?”

He stopped crying and looked up at her, the pain so clearly evident written on his face. She uncurled her hand from his hair to gently brush her fingertips along his jawline. “I’m stuck with you--- forever--” She whispered, tucking her fingers around his ear and lowering herself to her knees. She pressed her forehead against his, and closed her eyes as the rain poured over them. The droplets of water clung to their hair, and dripped down their faces, mixing with the tears that the both of them were trying so hard to suppress. 

“It’s my turn to give you an epic speech,” she murmured as she gently brushed her thumbs over his cheeks. She opened her eyes to look at him, not ignorant to the fact that if she wanted, she could press her lips against his and allow their emotions to take them over completely. 

“I am never going to give up on you Landon.” Her words rolled off her tongue so easily, and she could feel him slightly trembling under her touch. “You are the reason I am happy again. I never thought I would be, or even could be. But you’ve shown me a love that will last more than a lifetime. And that’s not something to just throw away. So I’m going to fight for you, even when you won’t fight for yourself”

Her hair clung to her face as the rain poured over her, and she shivered as she spoke. Landon’s hand curled around hers, bringing it down to his chest as it rose and fell with heavy breath.

A droplet of rain hung off the tip of Hope’s nose, and he reached out to brush it away, before resting his open palm against her cheek. 

“I’m sorry” He apologized, his lip trembling with pain. “I really didn’t want to hurt anyone” His eyes shifted down and away from Hope’s. 

“I know you didn’t. But you have to forgive yourself, Landon. Not me”

His wet curls bounced heavily across his forehead as he nodded his head. “Yeah” He mumbled. 

She tucked her hand under his chin, bringing his face up so she could look him straight in the eyes. “Now hear me, ok? I love you. More than I have ever loved anyone. And you are the best person I know.”

His lashes fluttered against his wet cheeks before his eyes frantically found hers again. He threaded his hand through her auburn waves, clinging to her with every ounce of strength he had left. 

“We should go inside” Hope whispered, taking note of their soaking wet clothes.

“Yeah,” Landon agreed, tilting his head slightly, but neither made the move to stand up, instead both choosing to sit there, in the rain, clinging to each other. 

Landon dropped his hands and snaked them around her waist, pulling her into his lap for warmth and pressing his chest against hers. “You won’t give up will you?” He whispered, running his thumb along her back. 

Hope’s lips were aching to kiss him especially now that he was so close. She shook her head, flinging drops of water around. “Not on you. Not ever”

He leaned his head against hers, closing his eyes in the process. “You promise?”

She pressed her lips against his feverishly, not wanting to wait any longer

“Landon,” she purred, biting at his lip in between their kisses. “I do. But can you promise me something too?”

“Anything” He murmured. 

“Promise you won’t ever leave me again”

Landon’s eyes popped open as he pulled his face from hers. He softly brushed her lips with his thumb, the touch being so intimate that Hope felt like it would break her if he stopped . 

“I'm not going anywhere Hope.”


	23. Family Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a fun little classroom spell/experiment

Hope had her head leaning against Landon’s shoulder, half listening to the teacher blabbing on about the daily lesson. She couldn’t sleep at all last night, and when she finally crawled into Landon’s bed half way through the night, she had a hard time staying asleep due to the fact that as soon as her arms snaked around his bare waist he woke up and they had spent the night kissing and cuddling.

Now, he was wide awake, listening intently and she was nodding off every now and then. When his hand squeezed hers to get her to pay attention, she could barely flutter her lids open long enough to focus. 

“How are you so lively?” She groaned when his warm form moved away from hers and she slightly toppled over until he caught her. His lips brushed passed her ears as the chuckle in his chest vibrated against her, which sent shivers down her spine. 

_ Get a hold of yourself Hope _ and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. 

“So, Miss Mikaelson,” Mrs. Cooper’s voice was dull and the way her eyes bore into Hope’s skull, made her sit up straight in an attempt to listen. She heard Landon laugh beside her, and she bumped her shoulder against his to let him know she heard him. 

“Are you and Mr. Kirby ready for today’s lesson? Or would you rather continue your nap on his shoulder?”

Snickers from the other classmates filled her ears and her cheeks flushed a bright pink. Normally she wouldn’t care what everyone else thought, but lately, and mostly because of Landon, Hope had started to actually notice that the school was filled with more than just her and the few select people she talked to. 

She cleared her throat and nodded her head which seemed to please the evil woman scowling at her. 

Mrs. Cooper flicked her gaze to Landon and Hope could see her eyes immediately soften at the Phoenix. Landon always seemed to have that effect on people, which usually made her question why he was with her. She wasn’t nice, and most of the students were actually afraid of her, but they all seemed to love Landon. 

Once the teacher had her back to the two of them, Hope turned her eyes over to her boyfriend’s. 

“What was that about?” She asked quietly, noticing the curve of his lips and the way his nose crinkled when he focused on her. “Apparently this is a new assignment, something that Dr. Saltzman just implemented due to the fact that some people are having a hard time keeping their hormones in line--” Landon laughed, “MG’s words, not mine”

“Oh--” Hope’s lips dropped into a pout as her hazy mind tried to concentrate on what he was saying. “Wait!” She cried, her eyes widening and her hands fluttering up to her chest. Landon shook his head and motioned towards the teacher who was glaring at her again. 

Hope shrugged an apology, and kept her mouth pressed together until the teacher turned away.

She leaned in closer to him and lowered her voice, “What does that mean?”

His eyebrow jumped up suggestively, and his lips curved upwards towards his eyes. “It’s family planning Hope-- you know-- what could happen if you aren’t ‘careful’”

“But-- why us?” Hope sounded breathless and she couldn’t hide the panic in her voice. 

“It’s not just us Hope, it’s everyone in the senior class”

Hope’s heart was pounding through her chest as she digested the information. 

“But we haven’t--” but Hope dropped the question when she caught Landon’s eye, knowing full well that they haven’t ever strayed past upper body touching.

“I don’t think we have a choice Hope”

Landon sounded upset, his voice was almost a growl, and Hope stiffened her back in response. 

“I--I didn’t mean--” Hope stammered, trying to force the words over her tongue, but Landon shook his head. “I know Hope. It will happen when it happens” Landon’s cheeks deepened with color as the words spilled from his mouth. His hand found it’s way up along his hair and through his curls. It’s not that he didn’t want to do more with her, it’s just--- he wanted it to be perfect, and they never seemed to get the timing right. She had even been sneaking into his bed at night, and things always heated up, but never passed a certain point. 

“You will have 24 hours, and your rooms have been set. Please come up and see me for all the instructions” The teacher called out, giving both Hope and Landon an out of the awkward conversation they were currently blanketed in. 

Landon jumped up and made his way to the front to grab everything they would need. 

He dropped the bag on the desk in front of Hope, and handed her the instructions, which included a set of magical bracelets. 

“What are those for?” Hope asked, eyeing them closely. 

Landon shrugged as he dug through the bag, pulling out diapers, bottles, and everything else you would need for a baby. Hope glossed over the instructions.

“So apparently the bracelets are a way for them to track our progress as we deal with 24 hours of parenthood?!” Hope could feel herself grow faint, and her knees wobbled. 

“Go to your room (which will be monitored!) and your baby will be waiting for you. Fill out the name, and work out a schedule together.”

Hope dropped the papers and sat down. She clutched at her head and closed her eyes. “They aren’t serious. They can’t be”

“Come on Hope, this could be fun” 

Hope just shook her head. “Where are they getting the babies? Nothing about this feels natural”

Landon laced his hand through hers and brought them up to his mouth, kissing each of her knuckles. “At least we get to do this together. Keep an open mind, ok?”

Hope swallowed back the breath she was holding and tilted her head slightly. “Yeah, I guess” she mumbled, allowing Landon to pull her up and take her in his arms. She pushed her head against his chest and buried her nose. “I don’t know if I can do this Landon” She mumbled, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. 

Landon kissed the top of her head, and laid his cheek against her hair. “You can and you will. Plus, you have me, always and we will co parent the hell out of this assignment!”

Hope laughed and tilted her head up so she could press a kiss against his mouth. 

“Thank you Landon” she said, a tiny smile spreading across her face.

* * *

Hope and Landon cautiously entered the room that was assigned to them.

They were shocked to find two twin beds, (because of course they wouldn’t promote sharing a bed) and a small white crib between them. A change table was to the right, and a full kitchenette complete with a fridge adorned the farther wall. 

“So, it's like a little bachelor pad” Landon piped up, grinning at Hope who only rolled her eyes. 

Hope took a fews steps over to the crib, peeking over the rails. Nestled inside was a plastic doll, which brought relief to Hope’s face. “It’s only a doll, thank goodness”

Landon came up from behind her and reached into the crib, making sure to pick the doll up carefully. He cradled it in his arms and stroked his finger along its chubby plastic cheek. 

“Hmm, this does seem rather easy” He fired out, his brows pinching together in confusion. 

He carried the doll to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. He pulled the instructions out of the bag he had, and Hope curiously watched his lips move silently as he read. 

“Oh!” He rummaged through the bag to grab the bracelets, handing them out to Hope. 

“Can you put mine on please?” He asked, looking up at her with a hint of joy in his eyes. 

Her teeth found her lower lip as she moved forward, her eyes still on the doll in Landon’s arms. 

As soon as she snapped the bracelet in place, he pushed the doll out towards her. 

“Here, take him while I put your bracelet on” Hope stepped back, throwing her arms up. “Oh no, I couldn’t--Landon, babies, even dolls, don’t like me”

Landon laughed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him. “Just cradle your arms like this, and I’ll lay him in them, ok?” 

Hope loved his confidence, but couldn’t shake her fears out of her head. Still, she had no desire to let Landon down or hurt him, so she softly took the doll into her arms, trying to mimic Landon’s previous actions.

He smiled and wrapped the bracelet around her wrist, snapping it in place. 

“There, now, we say the magic words” 

“Wait, what?” Hope tried to ask, but wasn’t quick enough against Landon’s “Infans” and before Hope knew it, the doll that was in her arms, was wriggling and warm and crying. 

“Holy Shit” she stumbled forward, almost dropping the now very live infant in her arms. 

“Landon?!” She cried, reaching out for him with panic written all over her face. 

“What did you do?!” 

Landon tumbled over in laughter, as the image of Hope balancing the squirming infant was too much for him to handle. 

She was completely frozen, her eyes on the baby, tears welling up into the corners as it screamed. 

“Help” she uttered, almost at her breaking point. 

Landon heard the plea in her voice and immediately stopped, closing the distance between them. “Shh, it’s ok little one” he cooed as he went to her and carefully plucked the baby up out of her arms. 

He cradled him to his chest and rocked him slightly. “Babe,” he whispered, not taking his eyes off the little one, “He needs to eat. Can you make his bottle? The instructions are over there” He motioned with his head towards the bag. Hope couldn’t believe what she was seeing, but the muffled screams of a hungry infant was enough to keep her feet moving and her hands quickly making up a bottle as per the papers Landon had directed her to. 

Hope’s whole body was tense, and she felt like she could crawl up into a corner and cry, but upon hearing Landon, who was now softly singing to the newborn, some maternal part inside of her clicked on. 

She handed him the warm bottle once it was made and sat down beside him on the bed while he fed the baby.

“He’s actually quite beautiful isn’t he?” Landon admired, totally fascinated.

“The paper actually said that the spell would make a replica of what our baby would look like”

Landon’s cheeks grew red as he quickly took in his own words. “Uh--I mean--if we had one that is”

“So--” Hope stammered, feeling more nervous than she ever had in her life, “He’s actually ours?” Hope was in complete disbelief. She knew magic could do a lot of things, but this-- this was far past anything she could have imagined. 

Hope looked away and sighed. “I don’t know if I will ever have kids Landon-- not even with you..” 

Landon stopped rocking the baby and looked over at her. He could see the pain in her face, and knew that her uncertainty was not about him, but about herself. “Well,” He finally said after some thought, “We don’t know what the future holds for us Hope, but right now, for 24 hours at least, we have him, and we are together. Let’s focus on that”

Hope sniffled and wiped at her teary eyes. “Yeah, we do” She whispered, forcing herself to look up at him. His eyes were hopeful and full of love for her, but in that moment she saw something else reflected in them, something she never thought she would experience in her lifetime. 

His gaze fell to the little boy he was cradling to his chest, who was now sleeping peacefully. 

Hope’s eyes followed him until they rested upon the cherub cheeks, and round face that was adorned with dark black curls. 

“He looks like you” Hope whispered, bringing her hand up to curl her finger in the baby’s grasp. 

“He has your eyes though” Landon murmured, his voice full of adoration. 

“What’s his name?” 

Landon looked at her, an idea filling his face as soon as she asked. 

“Well,” He said, lowering his lashes and squeezing his lips together to gain the courage to speak his idea out loud. “I was thinking of naming him Henry--you know--after your friend”


	24. Starting Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just something I was playing around with, but ultimately lost motivation.

Nothing exciting ever happened in this town. Everybody knew everybody, and if there were secrets, they were so well buried that even skeletons couldn’t touch them. 

Landon and Raf had grown up together, having lived beside each other their whole lives. 

They spent every weekend roaming the woods that their little town was nestled in. They even camped out in them in the summer, choosing the spot next to the creek so they could fish and swim and build a fire when it got late. 

But lately Raf had been hanging out more with the football team. He was tall, lean, well muscled, and a natural at everything he did, so when he was picked for the team, it was a no brainer for him to join. 

Landon, however, was the opposite. He was quiet, skinny, and a complete and total klutz.

The team didn’t particularly like Landon, and in the end, wanted Raf to choose. 

Landon knew how much the team meant to his friend, so he bowed out, taking himself out of the equation. 

Now, he roamed the woods on his own, bringing his journal with him so he could reflect on all the ways he wished his life would change.

He missed his friend, because the world never truly felt small when you had someone to share it with. Now, well, Landon felt insignificant, and the feeling had been weighing him down more and more as time passed. 

The day everything changed, was the day Landon decided that he needed to change his fate. 

He needed to prove to himself that he wasn’t going to be stuck in this dreary, pathetic life forever. So he packed up his camping supplies, said goodbye to his mom, and made his way into the woods. 

Normally, him and Raf would stay along the path, but something was calling Landon from beyond there, so he strayed, allowing his senses to guide him. 

He didn’t know how long he walked, nor how far he went, but when the sun dipped behind the trees and it started to get dark, he got to work on his tent. 

As he was working, something snapped behind him, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention. A shiver ran through his spine as he turned to come face to face with a wolf.

It was watching him with piercing yellow eyes, and its nose was lifted slightly in the air, breathing him in. 

It had an almost silvery white glow to its fur as though the moon had reached out and stroked it lovingly leaving traces of its fingerprints. 

Landon’s heart thumped wildly in his chest, too afraid to move, and too enchanted to look away.

Another branch breaking off to his side had the wolf snapping its head to the side and snarling. 

Landon took the opportunity to back up, away from the wolf, and whatever it was that had it arching its back in aggression. 

He slowly stood up, his hands out in front of him, keeping his eyes on the wolf, and what appeared to be a very large bear stalking out of the bushes. 

The wolf growled again, lunging at the bear and snapping at the air. 

Landon, against every warning in his body, turned and fled, running away as fast as he could.

The darkness had completely overtook the woods now, and he could see nothing in front of him. He ran with his hands in front of him, desperately hoping that he was going in the right direction. 

He could still hear the snapping of large jaws, and a screech that pierced the cool night air, and then there was silence. His lungs burned as he gasped for air, stopping to give himself a moment to breath. 

When he heard the soft padding of footsteps coming towards him, he turned to run again, only without the light to guide him, he didn’t see the giant log that had fallen in front of him, until it was too late. He tumbled forward, his hands breaking his fall, but his head bouncing against the ground hard enough to knock him completely out. 

* * *

  
_ She pushed her nose against the young boy’s cold face, a whine rumbling from deep within her chest. She usually tried not to let humans see her, but there was something about his scent when she first noticed it. And when she looked into his eyes, she felt something stir within her heart. She had been a wolf for so long, having cast aside her human side after her parents were killed, so this feeling confused her.  _

_ She gingerly licked at his face in an attempt to wake him, but he only moaned in pain.  _

_ She cocked her head slightly, listening to the quiet thumping of his heart, before she tried to nudge him again. Still, he wouldn’t wake up. When his body started to shiver, she curled herself up next to him, laying her head over his chest and flicking her tail over his legs. _

_ What was she going to do? She needed to get him help, but she couldn’t do anything as a wolf. _

_ When his breathing slowed, and his heart started to slow down, she knew what she had to do.  _

_ She had to save him.  _

* * *

Landon’s eyes strained against the early morning rays of the sun that peeked through the tips of the trees. He lifted a hand to his aching head, and pulled out some broken branches from his tangled mop of curls. He groaned from the movement. Every part of him was stiff and sore, and it hurt to breathe. “Help” he croaked out through dry cracked lips, his eyes still squeezed shut. 

“Shh” He heard in his ear, right before a warmth spread throughout his cheek. He popped an eye open only to come face to face with the most beautiful azure eyes he had ever seen in his life. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, glowing in the bright light of the sun, warming him all over.

Looking into her eyes, Landon was reminded of a distant memory, way back when he was very young, and couldn’t sleep. It was right after a storm that had rocked their small town. Everything smelled like fallen rain, and the clouds were pregnant with the promise of another one. 

The sky was dark, and tiny wind gusts still roamed the streets, plucking the hanging chimes like guitar strings, one by one as it passed through. He sat outside, wrapped in a warm blanket, and watched the sky shift and change. Awe washed over him as he watched the world bend at the beauty of nature. 

Her eyes were that storm, as he felt that awe once again. Suddenly, the pain was nothing, her very presence being enough to dull it. 

A soft smile curved along her full lips, as he leaned into her touch, his eyelids fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird. 

He wrapped his fingers delicately around her wrist, as the words ‘who are you’ tumbled out of his mouth. 

He waited for her answer, but when nothing came, and the warmth of her hand was torn from his face, his eyes popped open only to find himself alone.

He sat up and groaned, looking around frantically. “Where did you go?” 

He pulled himself to his feet, his eyes flicking over the pile of his things off to the side, and the familiar path of the trail to his house under his feet. “What?” He fumbled, pinching his brows together in confusion.

“Landon?!” Raf’s relieved voice travelled over through the trees as Landon stumbled forward. 

“Raf?” 

His friend, followed by Landon’s mom and a couple of police officers ran towards him.

“Where have you been?!” His mother yelled, slamming into him and wrapping her arms around his body. 

“I--” Landon tried to explain, but he couldn’t. 

“Dude, you’ve been gone for two days-- You should have told me you were going off, I would have joined you”

Landon shook his head in disbelief. “Two days?”

He ran his fingers through his hair, gingerly touching the large bump on the side of his head and wincing. “How?”

Raf shrugged. “We looked everywhere. We’ve been calling your name, combing the woods--”

“Wait--” Landon shook his head. “That’s not possible”

“We thought you were dead,” Raf said sadly, dropping his head, as Landon’s mom rubbed his shoulder in comfort. “But you’re not.” She murmured. “You’re here now” 

Landon’s jaw dropped as he tried to make sense of things. Who was that girl? Did she really save him? Or, did he imagine her? 

Landon sighed as a shiver shook his body, and his mom noticed, “Oh honey-- let’s go home. We’ll get you warmed up and have someone come check you out, make sure you are ok”

Landon simply nodded, his head full of knots. 

“How did you get back here?” Raf asked quietly, as he threw his arm around his friend to help him. 

“I think-- I think it was a girl” 

Raf laughed. “A girl?”

Landon nodded. “She had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen”

“A girl with pretty eyes saved you--” Raf snorted with disbelief. “Ok-- “

Landon quickly flicked his eyes behind him, looking for her, before nodding and laughing along with his friend. He did hit his head pretty hard. Maybe he did just imagine her. 

Landon sighed. 

* * *

  
_ She watched with careful eyes as they led the boy away.  _

_ As soon as she heard them, she ran and shifted back to her wolf form. _

_ She didn’t want to leave him, but they would have questions. And she didn’t know how to answer any of the questions they would have.  _

_ She watched until they were gone, before she crawled out of her hiding spot and padded over to where she last left him. She stuck her nose in the dirt, snuffling in his scent.  _

_ An ache rippled through her as she thought about what it felt like to touch him.  _

_ She hadn’t had human contact for so long, and now it was all she wanted.  _

_ She lifted her muzzle into the air, a force stronger than her taking over her very senses.  _

_ A howl rippled through the woods, bouncing off the trees and echoing throughout the bright sky.  _

_ There was pain behind it, and a longing that no one could ignore, not even her.  _

_ Saying goodbye was never easy, but this is what she had to do. _

_ She didn’t even feel the change anymore, and it was only when she placed a tiny hand on the ground before her, that she even knew she had shifted.  _

_ “Hope, my name is Hope” She murmured to herself, before standing up to start her life all over again. _


	25. I Thought I Had Lost You

“I thought I had lost you” 

“You could never lose me.”

“How can you say that? Look what happened with us? Look at what we have been through--”

“Stop. Don’t do this to yourself.”

“But--” 

“No, I mean it. We are together, and nothing can take that away from us. You are my destiny, and I am yours”

“How are you so sure?”

“All I need to do is look at you… Do you have any idea how my heart flutters at even just a glance from your eyes? The way you send shivers down my spine at even the lightest touch? The way my body trembles at the sound of your voice? How could I not be sure when everything inside of me is screaming? You are the only one who has ever made me feel even the slightest bit whole. I was broken, and scared, and unsure, and then you kissed me. 

I’ll take every chance, every threat, every moment of uncertainty if it means that I get to be with you.. Can’t you see that you’re worth it? You’re worth it all”

“You’re going to make me cry”

“Then cry, and I’ll be here to hold you until you are ready to smile again.”

“I love you”

“And I love you. More than you’ll ever know”

* * *

I sat at the side of her bed, the memory of this conversation heavy in my heart. It was the night I kissed her under the mistletoe. Hand in hand, we had made our way to my room, where she broke down. I held her that night as she cried herself to sleep. And then the next morning, I woke to her caressing my face and smiling down on me. She was so beautiful, and I made the vow then and there to never let her go again. 

My hand was curled around her own, but there was no movement, no warmth other than the heat that radiated off of me. 

She was still breathing, which was a relief to my eyes everytime her chest would softly rise and fall. But no one could figure out how to wake her up. I had been sitting with her for days now, and still no progress had been made. 

I eyed my guitar leaning against the end of the bed, sighing before reaching out and wrapping my hand around the neck of it and pulling it into my lap. 

I had already tried playing her song for her to no avail, but her breathing seemed to have relaxed a bit when I was playing, so now I just strummed softly on the strings every once in a while for her benefit. 

“Please wake up Hope” I moaned softly, closing my eyes and trapping the fresh tears behind my eyelids. 

I stretched my fingers and took a deep breath before I started to play. I felt them dance across the strings with ease, a haunting melody filling my ears I played. 

The tears I had been trying to hold back, rolled softly down my cheeks as the guitar sang, until finally I couldn’t take it any longer, and the guitar slid off my lap as my head dropped down to her cheek. I gave her a light kiss, before tucking my nose into the crook of her neck. “God I miss you” 

“Landon” 

I heard Lizzie’s voice call my name, and I felt her hand softly touch the small of my back. I shook my head, “Please don’t make me leave her”

Lizzie was usually so sharp witted, but even she couldn’t find any of her usual humor lately. 

“I wasn’t going to. It’s just-- We’re worried about you”

I lifted my head, and fixed my eyes on hers. Her usually bright blue eyes were puffy, and you could tell she had been crying.

“I’m fine” I croaked out, barely breathing, and dropping my eyes to my hand intertwined with Hope’s. 

“We’re all fine, Landon,” Lizzie replied, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Right? Because it’s not like all of us don’t miss her… or need her” She swallowed back a sob. 

My head snapped up, and my heart went out to her. “No, of course, I’m sorry.. I just--”

But she stopped me. “No, I know. We all know. I shouldn’t have snapped at you”

My gaze flickered behind her where Josie was standing silently, her mouth set into a pout and her bleary eyes fixed on Hope. 

“I can’t leave her Liz,” I whispered, biting down on my lip to stop the pain from making itself vocal. “How do I say goodbye?”

Lizzie looked over her shoulder at her sister, and then back in my direction. 

“You’re not saying goodbye,” She said firmly, “She’s still breathing.”

Josie, who had slowly made her way into the room, placed her hand on my shoulder. 

“You’re not giving up on her. We’re just asking you to take care of yourself too… We can’t lose the both of you”

I sighed and dropped my shoulders. “I just-- I feel like if I walk away then I’m breaking my promise to her. And I already did that once, I can’t do it again”

Lizzie kneeled down, and grabbed my face. “You are not abandoning her by getting something to eat, or getting some sleep.. And she won’t be alone. She has us”

Lizzie flicked her gaze up at her sister who nodded. “You both do,” Josie added. 

I puffed out my cheeks as I released a deep breath, and rubbed at my eyes. “Ok,” I finally succumbed. I leaned in and lightly pressed my lips against Hope’s. “I’ll be right back”

I stood up and allowed Josie and Lizzie to settle themselves on the bed next to Hope. 

“I’ll be in the kitchen.. If anything--” I tried to squeak out, but my voice betrayed me. 

“We will. I promise” Josie murmured, somehow knowing exactly what I was trying to say. 

I forced a small smile at her, before dropping my eyes to Hope’s face, letting them linger for a moment. 

* * *

I sat at the table, staring at the sandwich on my plate. I know I should eat. The twins were right, but I just couldn’t find my appetite. Not while Hope’s fate was still so uncertain. 

“Hey Lan,” Raf said, sliding into the chair next to me. “You gonna eat that, or stare at it until it molds?”

I sighed and pushed the plate away from me. I dropped my head into my hands and stifled a sob. “I can’t” 

“Lan,” Raf softly said, “I’m worried about you man. You haven’t touched food since you woke up, and I’m almost positive you haven’t slept since your bed still remains untouched.”

I lifted my teary eyes to his, my jaw tightening as he went on. “Thanks for the concern doc,” I sneered, pushing myself away from the table. “Why is everyone on my case?! Hope is-- Hope..” but my facade crumbled as I noticed others staring at me and my knees gave out. 

Raf easily reached out and stopped me from falling, and placed me back in my chair. 

“Hey, I know. But this is what I’m talking about Lan. You’re falling apart”

“THEN BRING HER BACK!” I screamed, unable to contain myself any longer. 

“I just want her back” I softened, closing my eyes and falling against his shoulder, feeling all the emotions I had been holding back finally surface. 

“I know” He whispered, in an attempt to console me. “And we will get her back. I know we will”

Raf’s body stiffened suddenly, and when I pulled away, I could see his body trembling as his eyes were focused on something behind us. 

“Landon” I heard Josie’s aching voice, followed by a set of sniffles. 

A chill ran down my spine as I turned to face her. She had no color in her face, and her lips drooped as she looked at me with wide doe eyes. 

“Hope” I whispered against the pain of my heart shattering. I couldn’t get my legs to move towards the siphoner, and if it wasn’t for Raf standing behind me, I probably would have fallen over. 

“Please don’t tell me” I stammered, having a hard time finding my voice. I sucked in the air around me, but the burning in my lungs was too strong and I clutched at my chest, pulling on my shirt. “I can’t--” I hyperventilated, feeling dizzy from the lack of air. 

Josie grabbed my hand and pulled, “You need to come with me”

My legs felt like jello, and I used what little strength I had to lean against the brunette siphoner. 

“Josie.. Please.” I begged as we walked together, “Please don’t tell me she’s gone”

I dropped my head, letting my lashes flutter heavily against my cheeks. “I never should have left her” I cried, grinding my fist into my eyes to stop the tears. 

“She stopped breathing Landon..” Josie mumbled, shock still laced through her voice. “She stopped breathing and I ran to get you.. I--” but her voice dropped off as a sob bubbled from her lips instead. 

I froze and wrapped my arms around her. There was a time when she was the one who helped me through losing Raf, and now the pain of Hope’s loss slammed against the both of us with a force neither was prepared for. 

“This is my fault” She cried into my shoulder, “I’m so sorry Landon” 

I wanted to console her, to forgive her, but I couldn’t find my voice. Instead of words, cries whimpered from my chest as I let go and dropped to the floor. 

Footsteps echoed off the halls as I clutched at my head, burying it against my knees.

I heard Josie noisily suck in a breath as the pounding of feet got closer, and then a hand grabbed at my hair, tangling the fingers in my curls. 

“Landon” 

I froze as my heart stopped pounding. Another hand curled itself around my ear, and I leaned into the familiar touch. Without opening my eyes, I leaned forward, my senses breathing in the honey and lavender that made my head spin with longing. 

Lips pressed against mine, and my heart fluttered madly against my ribcage. 

“Open your eyes” 

When I did, my breath caught in my throat. 

Striking blue eyes stared back at me, as her thumb caressed my cheek. There was pain behind them, and the weariness in her face settled deeply into her skin. I didn’t want to move, or blink, or breathe, in case this wasn’t real, but her hot breath on my lips was enough to make the walls of my chest constrict with every movement. 

My hand found her cheek, fitting against it so perfectly like I was the puzzle and she was the missing piece. “Hope” I breathed out, her name rolling off my tongue with ease. 

“How?”

She shook her head softly, her nose bumping against mine as she did so. “I don’t know.”

Her body fell against mine as I uncurled my free arm from my knees and wrapped it around her instead. “Kiss me Landon” She whispered breathlessly, pulling at my face with desperation. I pulled her into my lap, entangling our limbs with ease, and then finally pressed my lips against hers with every ounce of longing that I had. 

“Ummm…” A voice broke through the enchantment, and we both stopped and looked over at Josie, who was still standing there, her eyes lifted to the ceiling. 

Hope let out a small laugh as her fingers tugged at my curls. “Maybe we should go somewhere private” 

A blush spread across my cheeks and I nodded vigorously. 

Hope slid her hand into mine, and stood, pulling me up with her. She leaned her body into mine again, and pressed her lips against my cheek. “Lead the way” 

“Gross” Lizzie exclaimed, startling me as she came up behind her sister. “Get a room”

Hope turned and winked at her. “Already on it” She replied, making the other girl’s face contort in disgust before it softened and she smiled. “Glad to have you back Hope.” 


	26. Bedtime Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by those old tales about the sun and the moon.. only this one is about the wolf and the phoenix..   
> I had been in a rut writing Handon, and this just kind of came to me.. please excuse any typos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to Fer and Lea, who needed a pick me up today

* * *

“Tell me a story,” the little boy whined to his mother, crossing his arms across his small chest, hugging himself in the process. His bottom lip shot out in a pout, adding some extra emphasis in his plea. 

His mother laughed, a soft melodic sound that always comforted him whenever he felt scared. She brushed away his dark locks from his chubby face, before plopping her finger against his nose, tapping it slightly while her eyes danced in amusement. Her lips curved into a lazy smile, before she leaned in and replaced her fingers with a light kiss. 

“Another one?” she murmured as she lovingly buried her face against his cheek, blowing out air and tickling him in the process. 

He nodded, a big toothy grin plastered across his face. “Please?” He uncurled his hands from his chest so he could wrap them around his mother. He brushed his tiny fingers through her long hair, knowing just what buttons to press to get his mother to agree. 

“Daddy would” He added, for an extra little push. His mom giggled, the eruption of it tickling his neck so much that he pushed her away so he could curl his knees to his chest. 

“It’s true” A deep voice from the doorway startled them, and the mom shot up so she could glare at her husband, which only made him laugh. 

His arms were full, their infant daughter tucked sleepily in the crook of them as he gently rocked her. 

“Can you both tell me a story?” The young boy shot up excitedly, clapping his hands together as his dad carried his little sister into the room, stopping to place a kiss on the top of her head. 

“Only if you promise to go to sleep right after” The dad laughed, sitting on the other side of the bed and softly patting the boy’s leg. 

The boy nodded, “I promise--cross my heart” He plucked his fingers across his chest, mimicking a cross, before settling himself deeper under his blankets, and his eager eyes on his parents. 

“Once upon a time--” his mom started, but he shook his head. “The one about the fire”

Mom looked up at her husband before sighing and shrugging her shoulders. “Are you sure?” 

The boy nodded. “I love that story”

Dad laughed as he winked at his wife. “Me too”

“Ok then.. Where should I start?” The mom pondered for a moment, tapping her fingers against her lips. “Oh yeah,” she said, sliding her hand across the bed so she could lace her fingers through her husband’s, “The Legend of the Phoenix actually starts with a wolf...”

* * *

  
_ It was the moonlight that called to her each and every night. It vibrated within her, screaming so loud that it was hard to ignore. She wanted to bathe in its essence, and dance freely in the ripples cast to earth. She loved the way her fur glowed against the soft white light, giving her an ethereal look as she pranced across the cold underbelly of the forest.  _

_ She would sing to the moon, allowing all her dreams and wishes to skip across the coils of the wind, being carried away into unsuspecting ears. But no matter how much she loved the night, she was lonely, and she wanted more. She wanted a friend. _

_ So one night, when the moon was at its fullest, she whispered for something different. Her song was full of longing and heartache, and the higher she lifted her muzzle into the cold air, the more melancholy the song became. She poured her heart out into that night sky. And when she was done, and her body could take no more, she fell into the soft earth, closing her eyes against the waves of the moon, and allowing the soft caresses of its touch to gently lull her to sleep.  _

_ The wolf awoke as a sharp smell crossed her nose, startling her. It was putrid and thick, choking her instantly. The air was hazy as the dark clouds settled over the earth comfortably, forcing itself upon the wolf’s once beautiful home.  _

_ Her entire chest rumbled as she whined against the toxic air, and heat licked at her fur, forcing her to step back against the pressure. Panic glued her feet to the ground, as she watched the world crumble in front of her. Large orange tendrils slammed against the forest floor, eating everything in its path, devouring it as though its appetite was endless.  _

_ The moon was longer visible, and the wolf cried. She didn’t understand what was happening.  _

_ Why was this monster, spitting heat and smoke, invading her home?  _

_ Other animals ran past her, screaming to join them, but all she could do was watch in frozen terror as life was ripped apart. _

_ A screech from the air startled her, tearing her eyes away from the destruction and up into the night sky now set ablaze.  _

_ Something flitted across her view, soaring through the fog with ease, but disappearing into the blackness.  _

_ Her eyes darted across the sky, searching for the creature until it burst through the inky darkness, sucking all the smoke away with its giant wings.  _

_ The orange monster seemed to bow down to this creature, as it dipped back down to earth and then up again, attacking each tendril with ease until they fell to the charred and broken forest floor in a cloud of black exhaust. _

_ When it was finally defeated, the long winged creature landed gracefully in front of her, bowing to her feet in a show of respect. _

_ She had never seen anything like him before. The luminescence light that it expelled from its body was warm, like the sun wrapping its arms around her in a hug, and shined brighter than any star in the sky.  _

_ And when it wrapped his impressive wings around its body, extinguishing itself until there was nothing left but a tall olive skinned boy standing in its place, did she finally find her feet again.  _

_ As she arched her back in confusion, digging her claws into the soft ground for support, he fell to the ground with a large exhausted thud, his eyes fluttering closed and his hands falling limply to his side.  _

_ She had no idea what to do with this strange creature in front of her. Who was he? What was he? The wolf shook her large head as the cry bubbled out of her chest and into the steamed air around her. She pawed at the dirt, trying to get his attention, but he remained where he was. _

_ Rays of moonlight started to peek through the fog, climbing up the boy’s skin like spiderwebs, casting an ethereal glow over his limp body. She cocked her head, watching as the moon caressed this defeated creature in front of her, calling to her in the only way she knew.  _

_ If the moon trusted him, she should too, right?  _

_ She took a few uneasy steps towards him, her nose low to the ground, snuffling in his unique scent. He didn’t smell dangerous, and if anything, his scent awoke an unbridled passion in the wolf’s heart, stoking the flames of yearning she had buried deep within.  _

_ The ache lessened with each step closer, until finally she was standing over him, completely mesmerized by his presence.  _

_ She pressed her nose to his chest, searching for signs of life, but unable to detect any. _

_ Pain rippled throughout her body as she realized that there was nothing there anymore.  _

_ The body was cold, the life extinguished as quick as the flames he fought to save her.  _

_ She lifted her muzzle in the sky in mourning, and released a howl straight from her heart.  _

_ She was crying to whoever would listen, allowing all the anguish to bleed itself dry, until her throat was raw, and her body was weak.  _

_ She fell against the boy’s body, her large head landing across his chest in defeat. _

_ As she lay there, the wolf thought about the short life of this stranger, and wished that she could thank him for what he did for the forest.  _

_ Something brushed over her fur, pressing itself against her body roughly to get her attention.  _

_ Words were whispered into her ear as she lifted her large head to the sound.  _

_ A woman, bathed in angelic blue light, stood in front of her, smiling at the wolf.  _

_ “My beautiful creature,” she whispered into the wolf’s head, “I heard your plea” _

_ “My plea?” the wolf thought, shocked that she was able to understand. _

_ The woman nodded. “You are my most loved companion each night, but I know you are lonely.” _

_ “I am”  _

_ The woman knelt at the boy’s side, brushing her hand over his face lovingly, “I have brought you a gift” _

_ The wolf tilted her large head. “That creature? But it is gone.” _

_ A dulcet laugh erupted from the woman’s lips. “For now. But not forever.” _

_ “What do you mean?” _

_ The woman brushed her fingers through the wolf’s fur in comfort, her other hand still remaining on the boy’s face. _

_ “He is a Phoenix my young one” _

_ “What is a phoenix?” _

_ “A friend. His light will never fully be extinguished you see. He is special, as special as you” _

_ “I’m not special,” the wolf thought, laying to her feet.  _

_ “Oh but you are, you just haven’t realized it yet.” _

_ “How?” _

_ “You will find out one day, when the time is right” _

_ The woman pressed her lips against the boy’s cheek, breathing a hazy glow into his face, the wisp of air wedging itself between his lips and disappearing into his body.  _

_ “Your lives are connected now. Your wish has been granted.” _

_ The woman stood to her feet, as the boy’s body erupted into the same orange tendrils the wolf saw before. She jumped back and growled, but the woman’s hand on her head eased her fears.  _

_ “The love in your heart fuels these flames, and if it remains pure, he will always come back to you young one. Keep your heart safe, for you will never be lonely again” _

_ The wolf felt the woman lean down and kiss the top of her head. “When he awakens, so will you” and then she was gone.  _

_ The wolf whined as she looked around. What did she mean? Who was she? _

_ But she didn’t have time to truly think about it, because as the flames died down, and the boy’s lungs filled with air, the wolf collapsed to the ground beside him.  _

_ When her eyes finally opened, he was sitting over her, smiling at her in a way that made her heart flutter.  _

_ “Hi there,” he whispered, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight.  _

* * *

“Wait,” the young boy interrupted his mother, shaking his head, “Did the moon set the forest on fire then? To bring the Phoenix to the wolf?”

His mom laughed as she flashed a quick smile at her husband. “I think so.”

“But wouldn’t that destroy everything?”

“It did destroy some things, but what the wolf didn’t know, is that the forest needed to be reborn, because it was dying. And after that fire, it started to bloom again, even more beautiful than before”

“So--the fire healed the wolf’s home?”

The mom nodded, “The same way the Phoenix healed the wolf”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did the moon care?”

She lovingly stroked the boy’s cheek, thinking for a moment. “I think--” she said softly, looking over at her sleeping baby, “I think it was because the moon understood.”

“Understood what?”

“Loneliness”

“Oh” The boy’s eyes widened as his mouth fell open. “So what happened next?”

“Well,” the mom continued, “the wolf woke up, only she wasn’t a wolf anymore.. She was human..”

_ The wolf knew something was off, and when she finally pulled herself up, she realized that she was no longer the wolf, but the same strange shape that he was. She was bewildered as she tried to figure out what had happened. _

“The moon did it, right?” the boy asked, as his mom nodded. “That’s right”

_ She looked up at the moon, and then back at him. She brought her hand to her throat, as she attempted to speak, and was surprised when the sound that came out was as clear as a bell.  _

_ “What are we?” she finally asked, looking at him.  _

_ “Human” he replied. _

_ She cocked her head in confusion, “How do you know?” _

_ “Because she told me” he pointed towards the moon, “when she asked me to cleanse the forest” _

_ “Wait--” the wolf said quickly, “You did that? Why?” _

_ “Because fire brings new life-- and it hurt her to see the forest dying” _

_ “Why did you do it?” _

_ “Because she promised me freedom.” _

_ “From what?” _

_ “From loneliness” _

_ The wolf bit down on her lip, drawing blood. “I don’t--” she tried to say, but instead just sighed.  _

_ “She said you were my gift” _

_ He laughed, and turned his face to the sky, taking a moment to ponder the situation. _

_ “And you are my freedom” _

* * *

“And then they fell in love?” the boy asked innocently, blinking his wide green eyes quickly. 

“Not right away--” the dad piped up, laughing. “They had a few things to work out first”

The boy pinched his lips together in thought, “Did the moon ever tell them why she made them human?”

The mom sighed, her shoulders drooping towards the bed. “No-- the moon never spoke to them again-- but they found that when they weren’t together, they shed their human forms, turning back into the solitary creatures they were before.”

“So they could choose to be human?”

The mom nodded. “They could. You see, the moon gave them the option of one life or the other-- it was always up to them.”

“But they are human, right?”

“They are” 

The boy smiled. “Are they happy?”

His mom looked over at her husband and smiled, nodding. “Very”

“I think that’s enough for tonight though,” Dad added, carefully standing up so he didn’t wake the sleeping baby in his arms. 

“Awww” the boy pouted, shooting out his bottom lip. “I like this story”

Mom and Dad both laughed, “We know” they said in unison. 

“One more question?” he begged his parents. 

“Fine,” mom sighed, flicking her brow up. “One more”

The boy licked his lips as he rummaged through his list in his mind, trying to think of something he hadn’t asked yet. 

“What are their names?” the boy finally asked, surprising the mom. He had never asked this before. She gave her husband a guarded look, but he only nodded at her, urging her to answer their son’s question.

“Well-” the mom said, pursing her lips, “The wolf’s name was Hope--”

“Like you mama!” the boy exclaimed, a surprised smile on his face. 

“Just like me baby” she repeated, “And the Phoenix.. Well.. his name was Landon”

The boy sucked in a tight breath.. “Like daddy?”

The mom nodded. “Like daddy” She held her breath, waiting for his response. Instead, he only smiled at her, and nodded. 

“Goodnight baby,” she whispered, flicking his lights off and shutting his door. 

When the room was dark, and there was nothing but the moonlight shining through his window, the boy crawled out of his bed and creeped to the window. The moon was hanging brightly in the night sky, and he smiled at her. “Goodnight moon” he whispered, blowing her a kiss. “Thank you”

  
  



End file.
